Complications
by MioneW
Summary: Slight AU Fic. It's their 7th year at Hogwarts and things are as complicated as ever. A new arrival has his sights set on Hermione, but Ron thinks there's more to him. Is he right or is it just another Viktor Krum.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a dull summer at 12 Grimmauld Place for Ron Weasley.

As the burrow has been destroyed in the final battle against Voldermort at the end of their 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Weasley family had been forced to reside at the Order's headquarters. There was a lot of work to be done at the house as it had hardly been used since the summer after 5th year, so Mrs Weasley had kept Ron and his younger sister Ginny very busy with housework. After three weeks of nothing but cleaning every nook and cranny in the house, there really wasn't much left for Ron to do. His two best friends had not been to visit him. After finally defeating Voldermort, Harry had gone on a mission for the remaining Horcruxes along with Dumbledore, Tonks and Remus Lupin. Although Voldermort had been destroyed, there were still death eaters at large who were very loyal to the dark lord and they were also hunting for the Horcruxes in order to resurrect their master, therefore the war wasn't truly over until every Horcrux had been destroyed as well.

Hermione Granger had decided to take a family vacation to Bulgaria where she would visit Viktor Krum. Ron had asked her not to go but she had been as stubborn about going as he was about her staying, **_what was it that she had said, oh yeah; I want to get away from the war and everything and relax with my family._** Ron thought, **_Yeah right, the death eaters killed Karkaroff, so it was only a matter of time before they tried to recruit the famous 'Viktor Krum', star pupil at Durmstrang, International quidditch superstar and a triwizard champion. Once a death eater, he would just use Hermione to get to Harry._**

'BLOODY PUMPKIN HEAD' Ron groaned as he tried to focus on his transfiguration essay. With all the free time he had had over the summer, he had actually completed most of his homework '**_One less thing for her to nag me about I 'spose'_**.

They had had another huge argument before she had left for Bulgaria, he had thought that after she had had a chance to calm down, she would owl him and apologise for being so stubborn, it had been 5 weeks and she had not owled once. Ron could understand why he hadn't received one from Harry, he had more important things to think about, but would could Hermione possibly be doing that would keep her from contacting him. Surely she wasn't still mad at him, unless she was too busy with Krum.

'Eurgh' he didn't want to think about what they would be doing together.

Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to finish his essay tonight, and as he was too agitated to sleep, he decided to see what Ginny was up to. One good thing to come out of his friends not being there was that he had become much closer to his sister. They had mostly skulked around, but had occasionally talked about Hermione and Harry. Ginny was still heartbroken over Harry, and she knew that Ron was hurting that Hermione had chosen to visit Viktor over Ron. Not that she blamed Hermione, she had given Ron plenty of chances to tell her how he felt, but he had always been either too stubborn or too insecure to do it, at east Viktor had been honest with Hermione. Ginny had told Ron this of course and he had quickly retreated back to his room for the rest of the day.

As Ron entered the study where Ginny often spent her time, he noticed that she had 2 roles of parchment laid out on the couch in front of her.

"Hey, what ya doin?" Ron asked as she looked up at him.

"Hey, I'm just replying to a letter" Ginny answered, a hint of hesitation in her voice, Hermione had been regularly owling her throughout the summer, and she hadn't sent a letter to Ron. Her hesitation however did not go unnoticed.

"Are you writing to someone you shouldn't be?" Ron asked thinking that maybe she had decided to move on from Harry and was writing to Dean or Michael.

"No…just someone you should be"

Ron sighed and made a move to leave the room, "She asks about you, you know" Ginny stopped him

"Then why doesn't she ask me herself then?" Ron snapped back, he really wasn't in the mood for this, he had gone to see Ginny because he wanted to stop thinking about it, but being a Weasley, Ginny wasn't about to let it go.

"You hurt her pretty bad you know. She did ask you to go with her and you told her you'd rather spend the holiday with the Malfoy's than go with her. How do you expect her to act?"

"She knew what I meant….I didn't want to spend the whole time playing second best to Krum" he whined.

"You know that she would never do that…"Ginny replied sympathetically "…If anything, he'd be playing second best to you, he always has".

Ron's ears turned pink as they usually did when he had any kind of strong emotion, he knew deep down that what Ginny had said was true, but he still couldn't help making a complete prat out of himself whenever Krum was mentioned.

"Who's the other letter to?" he asked defeatedly, indicating the next piece of parchment.

"Harry" Ginny replied with a grimace

"So you're actually writing to him then?" Ron asked incredulously

"I don't know whether or not I'm going to send it yet. I want him to know I still care and I can't wait to see him again, but what if he doesn't need that, what if it distracts him?"

"Actually, I think it's exactly what he needs, it'll remind him what he's fighting for". Ron said as he placed a comforting hand on Ginny's shoulder.

"I'm gonna go to bed, got a big day of nothing planned out tomorrow" Ron said with a grin. As he got to the door, he turned "He will come back for you Gin….at least if he knows what's good for him".

Ginny smiled up at her brother, she too was thankful that she gotten closer with Ron over the summer. "Night Ron" "Night Gin".

As Ron walked up the stairs towards his room, he reflected on the conversation he had just had '**_So she misses me huh?'_** Ron thought happily '**_Maybe I will send her an owl"._**

Ron spent most of the next day writing to Hermione, he had written so many letters, but none of them seemed right, if he had to explain why he had acted like such a prat, he wasn't going to do it in a letter he thought as he eyed the mountain of screwed up parchment on his bedroom floor. In the end he went for:

**Dear Hermione,**

**I hope you've had a good summer, must have been better than mine, although I have finished all my homework, you'd be proud of me.**

**Look, I'm really sorry about the fight we had when you left, I didn't mean what I said, no-one in their right mind would want to spend a whole summer with the Malfoy's. Anyway, I'm a prat, you know that, but please forgive me. I miss you.**

**Ron**

He had been pleasantly surprised to find that by the time he went down for dinner, there was a letter waiting for him; he wasted no time in tearing open the letter.

**Dear Ron,**

**You are a prat, but I guess I forgive you, although I really shouldn't, you really are a prat. Anyway, my summer's been ok. Beats having to clean the house from top to bottom, although the homework thing does sound like fun. I am proud of you.**

**I'm going to Diagon Alley in a few days time; Ginny says we're all going at the same time, maybe we could meet up. Let me know either way.**

**Love Hermione.**

**P.S I've missed you too.x.**

Ok, so she forgave him, that was good, and he was going to see her in a few days time, that was even better, but hold on, she had finished the letter with 'LOVE HERMIONE' and she had marked it with a kiss. What did that mean, she had never signed her letters that way before, had Ginny said something to her? No, she wouldn't do that. Maybe he was getting the wrong idea, maybe she had just picked it up from Bulgaria, he thought, calming down a little. But how should I reply, should I send a kiss as well. No, I can't do that, it was acceptable for a girl to do it, but if a guy did it, there was bound to be a hidden agenda. Ok I'll just go with 'love Ron', it's not like I haven't told her that before, granted it was when she had given in and did his homework for her, but he had still said it. Oh like it matters, he thought sullenly, she's not interested in me like that, how could she be when she has Viktor.

Ron had hardly slept a wink, they were going into Diagon Alley today and he was going to see Hermione again, and he couldn't remember ever being this nervous about seeing her.

'Why?' he thought as he pulled on his orange jumper and walked out of his bedroom, 'It's just Hermione, I'm used to seeing her everyday, why am I so nervous now?'

He reached the kitchen door and opened it, just as he was thinking that maybe a nice big breakfast would cure his anxiety, he stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting at the table with a plate full of sausages and eggs was Hermione

"Hello Ron" she said as she looked up from her plate and smiled.

"H…Her…Hermione, what are you doing here?" he stammered.

"I'm glad to see you too Ronald, and yes I had a lovely holiday thank you, how was your's?" she replied teasingly.

"Uh, sorry. I just wasn't expecting to see you yet, when did you get here?"

"Last night, it was late and you were sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you."

"Are you going to move or are you just going to stand there like a lost love sick little puppy all day?" Snapped Ginny as she pushed past Ron and took a seat next to Hermione.

"What's with you today?" Ron asked as he too sat down at the table opposite Hermione, blushing slightly at Ginny's remark.

"We're meeting Harry today, didn't you know?" Hermione asked.

"Of course he knew, he's just had other stuff on his mind, haven't you Ron?"

"Shut up Gin" Ron snapped warningly

"Is everything ok?" Hermione asked sounding concerned.

"Yeah fine, just having trouble sleeping" Ron replied, avoiding Hermione's eyes.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Probably!" chuckled Ginny "Erm, better go get ready" she said as she darted for the door just as Ron threw a sausage in her direction.

Now that they were alone, there was an awkward silence between the two.

"Ron" Hermione pressed hesitatntly "Yeah?" Ron said as he looked at her properly for the first time since he had been there.

She did look more relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted. She didn't look tired, she didn't have the frown that had been permantly etched on her face for the last 2 years. She was wearing an old faded Chudley Cannons t-shirt, one Ginny had lent her the night before to save her from unpacking so late at night. It had been Ron's favourite t-shirt a few years back, until he had outgrown it and Ginny had pinched it. He had to admit, he liked seeing Hermione in his old clothes.

"I..uh...i really have missed you" Hermione stammered, turning a deep shade of red. Ron smiled as he pinked at the tips of his ears again as he replied "I've missed you too."

They sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, grinning at each other somewhat awkwardly before Hermione came back into herself "We should get ready, don't want to keep Ginny away from Harry too much longer, I think she'll go mad if she has to wait any longer"

"Yeah, she's been driving me bloody mental moping around all summer" Hermione smiled and started for the door, mumbling that from what she's heard, Ginny wasn't the only one moping. Ron banged his head down on the table with a groan "This is going to be harder than I thought".


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Diagon Alley was a lot different than the last time they had seen it. At the beginning of their sixth year, there were only a few shops that were still open, most had been attacked by the death eaters, some had fled through fear that they'd be next, now however, people had started to rebuild their lives. The town was buzzing with families. It seemed like half the students of Hogwarts had gone to town on the same day.

As Ron, Hermione and Ginny worked their way through the crowds, they stopped to talk to talk to a few fellow Gryffindor. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were on their way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Padma and Parvati Patil were on their way to meet Lavender Brown. Ron looked panicked at this, he hadn't spoken to Lavender since they had broken up and it was still kind of a sore point for Ron and Hermione. They hadn't spoken the whole time he had been going out with Lavender, it had killed him not to talk to her or be around her for all that time, but as usual, it had taken one of them to almost die for them to start speaking again. Of course, Hermione's knowledge that Ron would speak to her and Pretend to be asleep whenever Lavender came to visit probably had something to do with her forgiving him.

As they approached 'The Leaky Cauldron', they saw Hagrid, the Hogwart's grounds man and care of magical creature's teacher. He still looked pretty beaten up, he had probably still been trying to look after has half brother giant Grawp. Standing next to Hagrid, trying to blend in with the crowd was Harry Potter. Hermione ran over as soon as she saw him and pulled him into a tight embrace, almost cutting off his air supply.

Ron and Ginny both growled. "I'm glad to see you too Hermione, now can I breathe please?" Harry joked "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just so good to see you, you're ok right?" she asked him as she studied him for scars or bruises "Yes, I'm fine, can't wait to get back to school though"

"Hi Harry" Ginny said shyly, she hadn't really seen him since Bill's wedding and it was a slight understatement that she was more than a little nervous about seeing him again. "Hi Ginny, you look well" he said back just as shyly, kicking himself for saying something so formal. Hermione and Ron exchanged knowing looks before rolling their eyes at Ginny and Harry. Hagrid announced that he would be off soon and that he had a few errands to run before he got back to the castle, so the 4 friends said goodbye and went off for some ice cream. As they started walking off, Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her back a little "Why don't we give them some space?" Ron suggested, it was the least he could do for his sister, and it was an added bonus that he'd get to spend some time with Hermione "Yeah, you're right, we'll hold back a little" she replied as she nervously looked down at their joined hands, Ron realised that he was holding it and dropped it as soon as he saw her stiffen slightly "sorry" Ron mumbled "For what?" she asked already missing the contact between them "Oh, don't worry, it's fine".

"You never said that you were glad I was ok!" Ron stated suddenly, "Well, you were cleaning a house; Harry was off chasing death eaters and Horcruxes. How much danger could you possibly be in?" she retorted back smiling "I got splinters, and there was some nasty stuff in those blasted drapes" he pouted. Hermione smiled at him, he reminded so much of the 11 year old boy she had scolded on the train in her first year "And you never hugged me" whined Ron. "True, but I never told Harry I really missed him", was she flirting with him, she thought as she headed for the ice cream parlour. "I would've preferred the hug!" Ron mumbled under his breath.

"Come on Hermione, you've got to let us do something fun tonight!" Whined Fred as the 4 youngest Weasley's plus Harry and Hermione sat around the den in the darkness. It was stormy outside and Fred and George were in a playful mood "I know the kind of stuff you think is fun, and I'm doing it" Hermione stated "Oh come on, it won't be too bad, only a game of truth or dare, what's so wrong about that?" George asked mischievously. "You lot can play, I'm not" Ginny slided over to her "Please play Hermione, it won't be that bad. And you might be able to get them as bad as they get you" she said convincingly. Hermione thought for a moment before giving in to Ginny's pleading glare "Oh alright then, but nothing too horrible".

George smiled victoriously "Ok, because you're being such a good sport, you can go first, and you can pick on me, I take dare" Hermione smiled 'naturally' she thought "Ok, I dare you to dress up as Fleur, and go run into Percy's room declaring your love for him in your best Fleur impression" Ginny giggled, she loved George's impression of Fleur, and that he was going to do that to her older twit of a brother was very amusing "Done" George said as he changed his long red hair into long blonde hair and snuck out of the room "Hermione, I never thought you could be so sneaky" Fred grinned "We'll make a Weasley out of you yet" Ron choked at this and banged on his chest, insisting that his drink had gone down the wrong way.

They sat listening for Percy's reaction to George, finally the door opened and in came George looking glum "He didn't buy it, said I didn't have the figure" they all laughed at this apart from George of course "Oh don't get too pleased for yourself Miss Granger, you'll pay for that" he told her defiantly, Hermione looked panicked, she could only imagine what he would get her to do.

They continued with the truths and dares for about half an hour before it came to Hermione's turn "Dare" she stated, looking challengingly at George, she had had a sudden bout of courage somewhere along the line, Fred and George smiled coyly, they had obviously been waiting for this "I dare you to kiss our dear baby brother" they said together, the room went quiet 'Oh god, that's the courage gone then' Hermione thought to herself as she chanced a look over at Ron who was looking just as panicked. He looked up at her and smiled sympathetically "You don't have to, take a truth if you want" He told her, trying his best to sound normal. "Nope, she doesn't get to take a truth, she has to do the dare" Fred told them.

Hermione shook her head and sighed, they weren't going to let her get away with this, she had no choice. She slid herself over to him and looked up nervously "Do you mind?" she asked him, he really looked like he was going to throw up "Not if you don't" he finally said bravely, she nodded and leant her head forward "A proper kiss" George interrupted "Yeah got it" Hermione stated angrily at him. She looked back to Ron and mouthed 'Sorry' to him as she closed the distance between them and laid her lips on his. Her heart beat faster than it ever had in that moment as he kissed her back. As the kiss deepened, she had to remind herself over and over that it was just a dare, it was just a dare. It was so hard to do that though as she felt his hand slide up to her face and stroke her cheek. "Ok, ok, get a room already" Fred broke through, they pulled apart and blushed furiously "Er, sorry" She mumbled, holding back a nervous laugh "It's..er..it's..er..hmmmph". "ok, I think that's about it for tonight. Hermione, you wanna go to bed now?" Ginny offered, Hermione looked up at her friend gratefully "MmmHmm". As they got up, Hermione looked down at Ron who was still crouched in the same position he was when she had kissed him "Night everyone" She said hoping that he would look at her just to let her know that it was ok, he just waved up at her without looking up. Ginny smiled and grabbed Hermione's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

When they had left the room along with Fred and George, Harry went over to Ron "Hey, how was it?" Harry asked smugly, Ron looked up for the first time since he had kissed her and broke out into a huge smile "Bloody brilliant mate".

"Hey, can I come in?" Ron asked quietly as he knocked on the door to Hermione's room. It had been almost a whole day since the truth or dare game and they hadn't really spoken to each other, "Erm, yeah, you're room no good?" She asked, already knowing why Ron wasn't in his room, Ginny had declared that she was going to get Harry back or it would be all out war, "Ginny's up there, she wanted to talk to Harry" "So she kicked you out then?" "No, but I didn't really want to see my little sister groping my best mate, so I left them to it" He told her as he pulled a face.

Hermione scooted over on her bed and patted the spot next to her, indicating for Ron to sit down. He did so hesitantly "What're ya doing?" Ron asked, picking up several pieces of parchment, "Just trying to finish up some homework, I've still got Ancient Runes and Arithmancy to do yet, I'm so behind" she said shaking her head. "What….Hermione Granger, behind on homework" Ron teased "And what's this…Ronald Weasley still being a prat!" she scolded "Hey, I was only joking" he protested, holding his hands up in surrender, he was amazed at how comfortable he felt. "I know, I'm sorry, it's just if I don't get this finished before we get back to school, I'll be behind for the rest of the year, and it's going to be hard enough with NEWTS and all" she fretted "Hermione, it's ok, this is you, you'll do great, as usual, you'll catch up, then you'll do all your extra credit assignments, then still have time to nag me and Harry about ours" he said, placing a reassuring hand on her thigh. Hermione recognised the gesture and looked up into his deep blue eyes, she could feel his warm breath on her face, if one of them moved an inch, they're lips would be touching, trouble was, neither of them had the courage to do so. 'Just do it for Merlin's sake, you kissed her last night, it should be easy now. If she kisses you back, then you'll know that she wants you too, if she doesn't, at least you tried' Ron thought as he closed his eyes. 'He's going to kiss me, oh god, he's going to kiss me' Hermione thought as she too closed her eyes, willing her heart to beat normally. She shuddered as she felt his hand slide up from her thigh to her cheek just as he did the night before, she tilted her face closer to his and their noses brushed against each other, she parted her lips slightly, preparing for the kiss she had been waiting for since she was 11, sure they had kissed last night, but it wasn't because he wanted to, it was a dare.

"GEORGE, GET THE HELL OUT!" Ginny cried, both Ron and Hermione jumped apart and stared at each other, "Erm, I..er…I'm so..sorry Mione, I don't know what got into me" Ron stammered, "No, no, it's ok. We just er…" Hermione tried without much success and she stared down disappointedly. Ron noticed the look and felt his heart break, she didn't want it, he thought to himself "It was probably just the moment, ya know. I mean, we haven't seen each other all summer and we haven't argued once yet, and after last night, I guess we er… we just got a little caught up, right?" Hermione nodded "Yeah, we just lost our senses" "Yeah, that was probably it" Ron laughed nervously as he looked down at his feet blushing furiously, hoping that Hermione wouldn't say anything more about it.

"You better go see what George has done now"

"Yeah, G'night Mione"

"Night Ron". As Ron left the bedroom, Hermione collapsed down onto her bed, groaning loudly 'Damn George' she cursed under her breath.

"What the hell is going on up here?" Ron yelled as he marched into his bedroom. He stopped short at the sight in front of him. Harry was perched on the edge of the bed, his hair more dishevelled than usual, he was no longer wearing his red t-shirt, Ginny was sat behind him, she had her arms crossed over her chest, and Ron saw her white lace bra discarded on the floor.

"Ha..Harry, what are you doing with my sister?" Ron questioned warningly

"CAN EVERYONE JUST GET OUT AND LET ME GET DRESSED" Ginny yelled "That includes you Harry" "But I've already…" "NOW" Ron growled through gritted teeth.

Once Ginny had changed and stormed off downstairs back to her own bedroom, Ron pulled Harry into the bedroom "What were you doing?" "Ron, calm down, we just got a little carried away, but nothing happened" Harry tried to sound reassuring. "Because George stopped you" Ron growled "No, because Ginny stopped us…" Harry cut in, Ron had a look on his face that actually made Harry fear for his life "…she's not ready for that yet mate, you don't have to worry" Harry was relieved to see some of the anger dissolve from Ron's eyes. "Harry, I almost kissed her, I almost kissed Hermione" Ron realised he was more angry with himself than he was with Harry.

"Wow" Harry said incredulously, "What stopped you?" "Ginny yelling" "did she almost kiss you back?" Harry asked already knowing the answer.

"I think she did, but she agreed that it was probably just the moment and we got confused"

"Why don't you just tell her?" Harry asked, he wished his 2 best friends would just admit to each other how they felt and be done with it, they had both told him, or at least, he had got it out of them. "Are you insane?" Ron scoffed "She'd never speak to again" "And what if she feels the same way?"

"She doesn't, how could she? Not when she could have Viktor." Ron said bitterly. "Because she doesn't want Krum"

"Harry" Ron whined desperately.

"Look, you're gonna drive yourself crazy not knowing, and you're not gonna know unless you tell her" Harry said encouragingly, "Now I'm gonna go get something to eat, kissing you Ginny really does take it out of me!" Harry chuckled as he darted out the door just as Ron threw a pillow at him. For Ron there was nothing to think about, Hermione would never feel the same about him, he had seen the look of panic on her face last night when they had kissed and then earlier when he had almost kissed her. He was sure of one thing though, he wouldn't be able to be on his own with her if that was what happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ron and Hermione had tried their best to avoid each other over the course of the weekend. They had told Harry and Ginny about their near kiss and how they both thought it was pointless to even talk about what why it had happened, despite the protests of Ginny and Harry. Every time they had been in the same room as each other and had any kind of physical contact, they had both blanched away and huffed irritably. It still hadn't changed once they had boarded the Hogwarts Express. As usual, they had a prefects meeting on the train just to announce the duties for the first week and other bits of information they might need to know. Ron and Hermione had grabbed Hannah Abbott and Ernie McMillan, the 7th year prefects for Hufflepuff, on their way down to the prefect's compartment, just so they wouldn't have to be alone the whole walk there.

Once the meeting was over, they both hurried to the compartment that Harry had been saving for them. Ginny was in there with him and they quickly pulled apart, "so this is why you weren't in the prefect meeting then?" Hermione scolded Ginny, "I was asleep Hermione, you can't punish me for that" she said hopefully. Hermione glared at Ginny and mumbled something under her breath and Ginny smiled, "thank you Hermione, you're the best friend a girl could have" she beamed as she gave the older girl a quick squeeze.

Harry stood up at that moment and announced that he was going to take a walk and stretch his legs, "I'll come with you mate" Ron jumped at the chance of getting away from Hermione.

"No, I'm going with him" Ginny warned, both Ron and Hermione looked at her pleadingly, "But Ginny, you said that we could do that thing, remember?" Hermione stammered, disappointed with herself that she couldn't actually think of anything that they could be doing, Harry smiled at her, "I'm sure it can wait til later Hermione" he said grinning. Hermione issued him with a scowl that even Umbridge would have coward from. Harry and Ginny walked out of the compartment smugly leaving Ron and Hermione alone for the first time in days.

They both looked at each other and smiled awkwardly. Hermione decided to write to her parents, letting them know that she had boarded the train without any trouble and how the rest of her summer had been with the Weasley's. After finishing her letter, which was rather long, and giving up on Harry and Ginny coming back anytime soon, she finally relented and decided to get the issue between her and Ron out in the open. "Oh come on Ronald, this is silly. We talked about this, it was just a moment, a silly moment that we got caught up in. I mean, it was nothing right? We're best friends and I refuse to keep avoiding you because of this. We didn't kiss, and it's just absurd that we would" Ron, never being one to back away from a confrontation with Hermione fired back, "But Hermione, I almost kissed you. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you almost kissed me back, and we actually did kiss the night before that"

"That doesn't count, it was a dare" she said back childishly.

"It doesn't matter that it was a dare, or just a silly moment. It still happened, and there must be a reason for it. Don't you feel weird about it?"

"Of course I feel weird about it. But Ron, what's the point in dwelling on it? We're best friends and I don't want this to ruin our friendship. It's not worth it. So can we please just forget about it and be friends again. It's our last year all together, and I refuse to spend it arguing with you" she replied defiantly.

Ron looked down more to hide the hurt in his eyes, without actually telling her that he liked her, in his opinion, he had just told her that he did, and she had told him, rather matter of factly, that she wasn't interested and they weren't worth ruining their friendship over. "Ron?" she pressed when he didn't answer, "So you just want to ignore the fact that we almost kissed and pretend that it didn't happen?" Hermione thought for a moment, "Well yes, I want to be friends Ron, don't you?". After a short pause, Ron huffed "Yeah, of course I do. Consider it forgotten". "I'm gonna see if anyone else is around, are you going to be ok on your own?" Hermione nodded, "Yes, I have my books here, I'll see you soon". Ron forced a smile and opened the compartment door.

Once Hermione was sure that Ron was on his way down the corridor, she slumped down and rested her head in her hands, 'Why did I do that? He was actually going to talk about it and I backed away. That could have been our chance to finally let everything out, why did I have to screw it up'

Ron walked a little way down the corridor before he stopped and leant his head against the wall, he threw his hands up into his fiery red hair and groaned loudly, "I have to get over her" he thought "One more year and then we'll graduate and probably never see each other again" as much as he wanted Hermione in his life, he had to admit that it would be better to not see her everyday than see her and want her, knowing that she didn't feel the same.

As usual, the food that was served at the opening ceremony I the great hall that evening was beyond amazing, giant Yorkshire puddings, delicious crispy roast potatoes, crunchy vegetables, a whole selection of meats and stuffing, bread rolls, mountains of ice cream and pastries for dessert. Hermione was on her third helping, it was always a race to get as much food as possible when Ron Weasley was around, when Professor McGonagall approached their table. "Miss Granger, would you please accompany me to my office, I have a proposition for you" "Oh, er , certainly professor" Hermione replied, glancing at Ron and Harry as she stood to leave, they eyed her suspiciously, but she merely shrugged her shoulders and quickly followed McGonagall out of the great hall.

As Hermione entered her professor's office, she spied a young man sitting on the small brown leather sofa in the corner of the office. He had short dark brown hair that fell in curtains over his intense green eyes, he was only a bit taller than her, she realised as he stood to greet her, "Miss Granger, I would like you to meet Jake Jenkins" Hermione extended her hand to shake Jake's, "Nice to meet you Jake, I'm Hermione Granger" she welcomed warmingly.

"Mr Jenkins is a transfer student from one of the smaller wizarding communities that was unfortunately destroyed in the war, after 6 months home schooling, he has decided to attend Hogwarts for his final year in order to complete his NEWT examinations" Professor McGonagall explained "As head girl, I would like you to show Mr Jenkins around the school and also set up regular study sessions so that he may catch up on any subject matter that he may have missed. It would also be a very valuable experience for you."

Hermione felt very flattered that her favourite teacher had considered her for this opportunity, "Of course, Professor, I'd be honoured" she answered proudly.

"Thank you Miss Granger, that will be all for tonight. If you would be so kind as to show Mr Jenkins to Gryffindor Tower, and we will discuss plans tomorrow afternoon".

As Hermione and Jake walked along the corridors, Jake told her about the tutoring centre and how it had been destroyed. Half the tutors had been killed when they had stayed behind to hold off the death eaters while the other tutors got the students to safety.

As they stepped through the portrait hole, Hermione noted that only a few students were still up. Lavender and Parvati were sitting at the window whispering (probably talking about all the boys they had met over the summer), Harry and Ginny were snuggled up in the corner by the fire, and Ron, Dean and Seamus were in the middle of a very animated game of exploding snap. Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked up at the new arrival. Lavender and Parvati waved and went back to their whispering, except now they were giggling and staring at Jake. Hermione stepped forward and introduced Jake, Dean, Seamus and Harry all stood up and shook Jake's hand whilst Ginny smiled politely at him and Ron nodded in his direction. Dean invited Jake to join them and he accepted, sitting down next to Ron.

Hermione smiled at Ginny and Harry as she passed them on her way to her favourite table in the corner of the common room, once there, she removed some parchment and a quill from her bag and began writing. She had been alone for not even 5 minutes when Ron sat down next to her. "Yes?" Hermione prodded as she covered her parchment, "So, what did McGonagall want?" "She wants me to help Jake catch up on some of the work he missed last year, his school was destroyed in an attack by death eaters" She informed him. Ron tried to look intrigued, "Really? So you're going to do it?" Hermione rolled her eyes "Yes, it's a really good opportunity, especially if I decide to pursue teaching once we leave here". Ron agreed "I guess, but, if you're teaching him, doesn't that mean you'll be spending a lot of time with him, you know, alone?" she couldn't help the smile that was tugging at her lips, "Probably, would that be a problem for you?" She asked playfully, Ron blushed slightly, "No, but it's our last year, and I thought that we'd all be spending as much time as possible with each other" he lied, "I'll still be able to help you with your homework Ron, if that's what you're worried about" "You know that's not what me and Harry want you for, it's just, he's a boy" Hermione sighed heavily "well spotted Ron" she retorted sarcastically "Well, what if he asks you out? You'll have to spend more time alone with him" he quickly covered up "I could say no, you know. I don't have to go out with someone just because they ask me" Ron let out a frustrated groan "I know that". Why did she have to be so awkward. "Who were you writing to anyway, you're parents?" he said, trying to change the subject, "No, I wrote to them while I was on the train, I'm writing to Viktor now, he wanted me to let him know I got here ok" she said hesitantly, talking about Viktor always caused an argument with Ron, "Why wouldn't you. You get here ok every year, what's so different now? And you spent the whole summer with him, what more could you talk about" "Ron" she stated warningly "And how's he going to feel when you're spending all your time with some other boy?" he couldn't keep his bitterness under control anymore, "Much like a friend is supposed to handle it I would imagine" she said as she packed her letter away "I'm sorry. It is a really good opportunity for you, and I'm pleased that she thought of you" Ron relented when he could see that she was getting annoyed with him "I just don't want you neglecting you studies" he explained weakly, Hermione raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief, "Is that the best excuse you can come up with? Look I'm tired, and I really don't want to get into this now, I'll see you in the morning". She turned and left him to stare after her dejectedly.

"Maybe he needs a new challenge to get his arse in gear" Ginny commented to Harry as Ron gave Jake one last disapproving glare and left the common room for the boys bed chambers. They had been watching the interaction between the two ever since Hermione had turned up with Jake. Ron had not been able to keep his eyes off Hermione and had been only too quick to find out what the story was, they could see it turning into another Viktor Krum thing, especially as Lavender and Parvati had joined the boys to gush over the new arrival. "Yep, definitely another Viktor Krum thing" they both agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Morning 'Mione" Ron said cautiously the next morning when Hermione sat down next to him, "Morning" she replied cheerily.

'She has either forgotten about last night or wants to ignore it altogether' thought Ron, not that he wasn't glad about that, he hadn't been able to sleep properly wondering whether or not they were talking at the moment.

"Good morning everybody" Jake announced a little too enthusiastically for that time of morning. He sat down opposite Hermione and laid down a large book in front of him, Ron recognised it immediately, it was Hermione's copy of 'Hogwarts; A History'.

"Have you been reading the book?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Of course, I haven't been able to put it down".

Ron, Harry, dean and Seamus all looked up in surprise, no-one in their right mind would actually admit to reading the book, let alone enjoy reading it, apart from Hermione of course but her sanity had been questioned at times.

"See Ron, I told you it was good" she said as she nudged him in the ribs, "Yeah, I'm sure it's great love".

The looks of surprise around them had instantly turned to shock.

Ron had just called Hermione 'love', ok, so it wasn't a big deal for anyone else, but in Ron's case, it was huge, particularly where Hermione was concerned.

Hermione looked down at her breakfast, blushing furiously, while Ron, unaware of what he had said looked at everyone else and asked incredulously "WHAT?"

"Nothing, nothing at all- love" Harry mimicked, holding back a laugh.

Ron's face dropped, "Shit" he thought as he looked back at Hermione 'Great, I've just embarrassed the hell out of her in front of the whole house'. He leant towards Hermione and whispered into her ear "Hermione, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to…." "It's ok Ron, don't worry about it", she shuddered when she felt his breath against her ear. She announced that she needed to get to the library before classes started and motioned for Jake follow.

Once they had left the great hall, Harry couldn't contain his laughter any longer.

"SHUT UP HARRY" Ron warned, "but you called her 'love' and you didn't even realise you said it, and you should have seen her face" he continued to chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was quite the picture, now drop it".

Harry knew Ron well enough to know that when Ron said something that calmly, it normally meant that he was about to blow up at the nearest person, Ginny knew this too of course and placed her hand on top of Harry's just in case he didn't understand the danger he was in. she really didn't want her boyfriend and brother arguing, watching her brother and her best friend arguing was a whole different matter, that was fun, most of the gryffindors had bets going on for who would spill their true feelings first. Of course Ginny knew the two better than everybody apart from Harry and so she was in with a very good chance of winning a lot of money.

As Hermione and Jake walked to the library, she remained quiet. After 7 years, she still wasn't able to keep her emotions in check. She was sure the whole table had seen her blush beet red, and she wasn't able to stop the shiver that worked its way up her spine when he whispered into her ear and placed his hand on the small of her back.

"Hermione?" Jakes voice cut through her thoughts, "Are you ok? You've been awfully quiet the whole way down here" he asked as he pushed the door to the library open and allowed Hermione to enter first.

"Yes, I'm fine, just thinking", she replied distantly.

"Erm, you don't have to answer this, I mean, it's none of my business, I've only known you for a day, but is there something going on between you and Ron?" Jake gently pushed.

"Why would you ask that?". She asked, slightly confused.

"Well, it's just that, watching the two of you, well, you look at each other differently compared to the way you look at other people, you both seem so comfortable together, and last night, he joined you when we got to the common room, so I thought that you were. But then just now when he called you love, everyone just seemed really shocked and then he apologised to you. I'm just a little confused" he explained.

'Great' Hermione thought, 'a complete stranger can see it but Ron can't' "No, there's nothing going on between Ronald and I. He's my best friend, that's all we've ever been" always will be she added to herself as an after thought.

Jake expected there was more to it than Hermione was letting on. Still, they weren't a couple, so that was a good start. He knew all about Hermione and her friendship with 'The boy that lived' and his best friend, and how they had all fought in the final battle and Hermione and Ron had played a crucial part in helping Harry finally defeat the dark lord. She had the reputation of the brightest witch in over a century. Jake had been eager to meet her when he planned to go to Hogwarts, so he thought of it as fate that she was the one that had been brought in as his tutor. He had to admit, she was much more beautiful in person. He had been both intrigued and impressed by her. Her independence, her courage, the way she cared so much about her friends.

It was common knowledge that Hermione, Ron and Harry had an unbreakable bond, and they were all so willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe. Hermione showed it more than the two boys, and Jake found this quality very endearing. She wasn't a giggling girl either, upon entering the common room the night before, the majority of the girls, mainly Lavender and Parvati, had flocked around him, trying to impress him. They were all obsessed with the way they looked and who the latest wizarding couple was for the week. He really liked that Hermione wasn't like that. She didn't follow anyone, she was her own person.

When he had seen the way Hermione and Ron were with each other, he had thought there was something going on, and so he had prepared himself for a lot of hard work. Hearing the sadness and regret in her voice, he realised that if he played his cards right, she'd be all his.

Ron still felt guilty for embarrassing Hermione at breakfast that morning, he had planned on apologising to her again when he next saw her but as she decided to sit with Jake in lessons and during lunch and dinner, it wasn't easy. He didn't know whether he trusted Jake. There was just something about him that made Ron uneasy, and he was sure it wasn't because Hermione seemed to be completely at ease with him already, much like she had been with Viktor.

He had gone to look for her in the evening when most of the students were winding down after a long first day back.

After checking the usual places that she would normally be without much success, he decided to try her bedroom. A privilege of being head boy or girl was that you got your own room, and Ron had most certainly wanted that. He knocked on the door gently and waited for her to answer. He was about to leave when the door creaked open. He took in the site in front of him and his breath caught in his chest.

Hermione was standing wearing only a white fluffy towel that ended a little above her knees. She had just got out of the shower and was carefully towelling her hair dry.

Ron's mouth went dry and all he could do was stand there with his mouth wide open.

"Ron" Hermione stammered, blushing as she realised Ron had never seen her fresh from a shower, "What are you doing here?" she asked as she pulled him into her room before anyone came into the hallway and saw him standing there.

"I…uh….I…came to apologise about…er…this morning" he struggled out as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh, I already told you, don't worry about it, I know you didn't mean to say it".

"But I am worried 'mione. I embarrassed you in front of a lot of people, and I know you hate it when I do that, I honestly didn't mean to…"

"Ron, its fine. I already told you, I know you didn't mean to call me 'love' so forget about it". Hermione snapped feeling very agitated, 'why does he keep talking to me about this, he's made it clear he's not interested' she thought.

Ron sighed heavily, feeling more than a little frustrated, "No, Hermione, that's not what I meant" he said, his voice a little higher than he would have liked.

He seemed to suddenly realise that he was in her bedroom and looked around the bedroom, his eyes stopped on the photographs that were on her dressing table next to her bed.

There were 3 photos, one of her with her parents, one of her, Harry and himself, but the one that had really captured his attention was the one of her and Krum.

It had been taken in Bulgaria that summer and Viktor was standing behind Hermione, his arms wrapped around her and they were laughing. Hermione followed his eyes and braced herself for the argument that she knew would inevitably occur. Ron walked over to the picture and picked it up, studying it before turning to Hermione.

"I thought you two were just friends?" he said, his voice deathly calm.

"Ron, we've talked about this"

"No, apparently we haven't, that's why you wanted to spend the summer with him isn't it!" he spat out accusingly, more stating a fact than asking the question.

"What is your problem with him Ronald? He has never done anything to you. Don't you think it's about time you got over this"

"Not until you admit that you're seeing him" he cried.

"Ron, you're behaving like a child" she stated disapprovingly.

"Are you?"

"No, I'm not. He's in Bulgaria and I'm here, how could I be seeing him?" Hermione said calmly as though she was stating the obvious.

"But you were" he yelled at her

Hermione looked down, she couldn't handle the fire that was burning in his eyes, it was too full of anger and hurt, that was all the answer he needed.

"Great, so while Harry was off saving the world, and me and Ginny were sat at home feeling completely useless and worrying about you, you were off doing Merlin knows what with Vicky" he screamed at her in disgust.

"Is that why you're mad? Because I've stopped putting my life on hold?" she yelled back.

Ron took a deep breath, ready to yell back when she beat him to it.

"I will not put my life on hold forever. I've been doing that practically my whole life, and I'm tired of waiting for… for" she paused, trying to push down the sob that was so threateningly trying to come out. "I can't keep ignoring chances of being happy Ron, I won't let you hold me back anymore" she said a little quieter.

Ron looked shocked at this, he had never wanted her to be unhappy, and he was angry at himself that he was the cause of it, "Is that what I've been doing, holding you back?"

Hermione nodded as she let her tears fall "You can't keep telling me who I can and can't see Ron".

Ron had tried to keep his anger in check, but with her accusing him of doing that, caused it all to spill out. He looked down at the photograph with one last look of disgust and threw it at the wall, causing the glass to shatter and making Hermione jump and sob louder.

"FINE" he yelled as he yanked open the door, "Feel free to see whoever the fuck you want", and with that, he slammed the door shut so hard, it shook the whole room.

Hermione crumpled to the floor, holding her chest as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She knew she should go after him, explain why she had been letting him hold her back, that she was waiting for him to realise that he wanted her.

She hadn't meant to make it sound like it was his fault. But, she had to let him go, and by seeing other people, it would make it easier, or at least she had hoped so.

"At least this way, he won't do anything to make me think there's something more" she said to herself glumly as she picked up the broken frame, "Reparo" she muttered as she pointed her wand at it, if only it was that easy to fix everything else.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So what was up with you last night?" Harry questioned Ron when he came down the stairs to the common room. Harry had been sitting in the common room with Ginny the night before when Ron came storming in through the portrait hole, either ignoring anyone who got in his way or grunting dangerously at them to get out of the way. Harry had not seen him come down from Hermione's room so he was surprised to see him come through the portrait.

"Nothing" Ron snapped as he got to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Hermione exit the stairwell leading up to the girls dorms, Harry spun around to see who Ron was glaring at and watched as she walked past Harry, greeting him politely as she passed him but completely ignoring Ron, and realised why Ron had been such a foul mood.

"Ah, already. Well, how serious is this one?"

"Serious!" Ron snapped as he watched after her. He told Harry all about the argument he had had with Hermione the night before on the way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Ok, so just apologise to her" Harry suggested.

"Are you mental?" Ron replied indignantly "I didn't do anything wrong, it's her fault. She lied to me about him and then told me that I'm the reason why she's been miserable and she wants it stop. I'm only doing what she asked me to do"

"So you're not going to talk to her ever again then?" Harry asked worriedly, he hated it when his two best friends had a fall out, it wasn't as if he was forced to pick sides, but they both moaned about the other to him and he felt he had to take a side.

"Dunno mate. Maybe in a couple of days, let her cool down a bit first, but I don't want to be around her at the moment".

"But, you've got a prefect meeting tonight. You're going to have to speak to her then because you'll walk down there with her."

"No, I'll walk down there with Ginny!"

Sure enough, as soon as lessons finished, Ron raced up to Ginny's last class and convinced her to walk with him. They entered the prefects meeting room and sat down at the front lot of desks as they were the only ones left. The meeting had included all the usual announcements such as the Hogsmeade weekends, prefect shifts and who was paired up with whom. It was also announced that a ball would be held at Halloween, at which point Hermione glanced at Ron, she had told him at the last ball to pluck up the courage and ask her before someone else did and not as a last resort, Ron shifted in his seat uncomfortably and tried to ignore her stare.

"So are you going to ask her to this one then?" Ginny asked whilst they were making their way down to the great hall for dinner.

"If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly on speaking terms right now" Ron said sarcastically.

"But she told you that you were holding her back, does that not tell you anything? She wanted you to ask her to the last one. Why do you think that is Ron, you have to have some sort of clue!" Ginny tried to convince him.

Ron shook his head at this, he found it really hard to believe that she wanted him to ask her. "She made it pretty clear that she doesn't want me in her life anymore. I think that includes not asking her to a ball. Now can we please just drop it?"

After a couple of days, the ball had been announced to everyone and the atmosphere was buzzing. All the girls were flirting with the boys, and the boys were more on edge around the girls. Ron and Hermione still weren't talking and it seemed they were going out of their way to avoid each other. Hermione had spent most of her time with Jake and Ron had spent most of his time either with Harry and Ginny or Dean and Seamus. He hated not being able to talk to her, and he knew that Harry and Ginny wanted some time alone, but Dean and Seamus were trying their luck once again with Lavender and Parvati, so he knew that he had to do something. '_Maybe I should just apologise to her'_ he thought. He no longer cared whether she wanted him out of her life, he needed her in his, so he was prepared to swallow his pride and admit that he was wrong just to get things back to normal.

The night before the Hogsmeade weekend, the common room was packed out. Dean and Seamus were playing Gobstones, Lavender, Parvati and Padma were in their usual place gossiping, Harry and Ginny were sat in the corner with Ron and Hermione was sitting by the fire with Jake.

"Erm, Hermione?" Jake started nervously.

"Mmm Hmm?"

"Er, this, er, this Halloween Ball, are you going?"

"I have to go. I'm Head Girl" Hermione smiled.

"But are you going with anyone?"

"No, no-one has asked me" Hermione laughed shyly.

"Not even Ron?" Jake tried not to sound surprised. Hermione just looked up at him, thinking that she didn't even need to answer that question, they still weren't talking.

"It's just that, well, I was kind of hoping that you'd go with me. You know, if you wanted to go with me?"

"You really want to go with me?" She asked.

"You're the only one I'd want to go with!" he answered shyly.

"In that case, yes, I'd love to go to the ball with you".

Ron was sat watching the two of them, trying to pluck up the courage to just go over and talk to her, he was just about there when he noticed that Hermione was blushing. He watched as Jake raised his hand to her face, sliding a loose strand of hair away from her eyes and brush her cheek, she smiled back at him affectionately and Ron had to fight down the urge to storm over and rip Jakes arms off so he couldn't touch her anymore. Before he even realised he was still staring, Hermione was making her way over to them, Ron immediately turned back to his conversation with Harry and Ginny.

"Hello" Hermione greeted once she reached them "Erm, Ginny, when we go to Hogsmeade, would you maybe come to the dress makers with me. I have to pick out a dress for the Ball. Jake just asked me to go with him" She informed them carefully, sparing a glance at Ron to see if he had any reaction at all. She wasn't the only one, as soon as she had said it, Ginny and Harry both looked at him for the same reason, not wanting to have his every move analysed, Ron announced that he was going to join Dean and Seamus.

As the common room was very crowded, Ron had to squeeze past Hermione to get away from the table, this meant touching her. He tensed at the contact and Hermione looked away shyly.

"Sorry, excuse me please" he mumbled as he placed his hands on her waist to make sure he didn't knock her over when he brushed past, she apologised also with a polite smile, then watched him as he went to join the other two boys. She sat down shaking her head regretfully, but then proceeded to tell Harry and Ginny what Jake had said and caught them up with what she had been up to recently. It was hard to talk to them when Ron was around them all the time.

Ron sat with Dean and Seamus discussing what they could do at Hogsmeade. Ron suggested they pay his brothers joke shop a visit and pick up a few supplies. He was tired of brooding, and he was tired of behaving just so Hermione would be impressed, now he wanted to have some fun, and if she didn't approve, so be it.

Hogsmeade was busy as usual, most of the girls were running into the dressmakers and the boys were running into the Quidditch shop.

"You're not hanging out with us today then Ron?" Harry asked as Ron said goodbye to him.

"No, I've already made plans to meet Dean and Seamus. I'll see you a bit later though mate".

Ginny and Hermione had just walked up to them and he decided to make a quick exit. He told Ginny his plans for the day, noticing that Hermione was having an internal battle with herself whether to talk to him or not. He made the choice for her and said goodbye, that way she could say bye to him if she wanted but to not have it as a big deal. She smiled at him slightly, then looked back down to her shoes.

"Hey Fred, George. You got that stuff I asked for?" Ron asked as soon as he was in the back of the joke shop. After going through some plans with Dean and Seamus, he had owled his brothers with a list of everything that they needed.

"Yeah, but why do you want 'Love Potions'? Finally gonna use 'em on a certain bossy witch aye bro?" they both joked.

"No, we're not really speaking at the moment. I've got other plans for these" he indicated the bottles "And remember, not a word to mum, ok!" he warned.

"Why would we tell mum? We'd be in more trouble than you for supplying with it"

As the three Weasley boys came out from the back of the shop, Ron spotted Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Jake in the corner checking out the new range of joke sweets. He seriously considered just going over there, but finally decided to stick with Dean and Seamus.

The door opened again and in sauntered Slytherin's Draco Malfoy and his two goons Crabbe and Goyle.

"Ah, I thought I could smell filth" Malfoy stated with an evil smirk.

"If you're here to cause trouble, you can leave now" warned Fred.

"You know Weasley, it still baffles me that, as a pureblood, you still allow filth like…." He said pointing over to Hermione "that…..into a shop that actually has quite a bit of potential".

Ron looked over to Hermione, he knew how much Malfoy's verbal attacks affected her, and he was always the one that defended her. So he had to fight with himself not to go over and threaten Malfoy, it wasn't his place to protect her, she had Jake now.

"Still, I can see the appeal" Malfoy drawled sickeningly as he looked Hermione up and down appreciatively. Everyone looked at Ron waiting for him to pounce, even Malfoy was waiting for it. Ron just stood there, he could feel Hermione's eyes boring into the back of his head.

"What's up Weasley, things gone a little, er, south between you and Granger?" he could still feel her glaring at him but he did nothing. It was her that didn't want this, so she'd have to deal with it now.

"Shove off Malfoy" Harry warned

"Are you going to stop me Potter?"

"If I have to, yes" Harry stated.

"And what makes you think you can?" Malfoy asked cockily.

"You really want to test him?" Jake stepped in. "He's taken out Voldermort, a half blood I might just add, all by himself. Think how he died, Harry could do a lot worse to you don't you think!". Malfoy stepped back and looked over at Ron again.

"Are you seriously not going to do anything Weasley? Someone else is coming to her defence".

Ron put down the book of joke charms he had been flicking through and headed for the door, "Doesn't matter to me who defends her, she should be able to do it on her own by now" he said coldly as he left the store.

He hated being like this, all he wanted to do was go back in there and punch Malfoy's lights out, '_this is what she wants'_ he reminded himself over and over again as he walked down the street.

"Well, that's a little more than not talking, wouldn't you say George?" Fred said back inside the shop. "I'd definitely say so Fred" George replied.

Once Ron, Dean and Seamus got back to Hogwarts, they wasted no time at all in preparing for their prank. Ron went straight to Harry's trunk and removed the invisibility cloak he had inherited from his father. He met Dean and Seamus back down in the great hall ready for dinner.

As he walked down to where the other Gryffindors were sitting, he noticed Hermione stand up and march towards him.

"Ron, we need to talk" She growled angrily.

"Really?" Ron replied half-heartedly.

"Why didn't you do anything in the joke shop today?"

"I did. I spoke to my brothers and got a few things" He replied cheekily.

"You know what I mean Ronald. Why didn't you help us with Malfoy?" she asked desperately now.

By this time they had both reached the table. "You know, you're lucky Jake was there, at least he defended your friends. Which you really should thank him for by the way!" She stated shrilly. Ron smiled and looked at Jake.

"You're right. Jake, thank you for sticking up for Harry and Ginny for me, I really appreciate it". He heard Hermione sigh dejectedly. "By the way Harry, I'm just borrowing your cloak for a minute" he declared as he checked that the person they were going to play the prank on was at the staff table. "Dean, you ready?" he asked Dean as he nodded up to the table.

"Yep, let's go". Ron opened the cloak and slid underneath it, smirking at the confused expressions of those around him. He walked slightly ahead of Dean up to the table, then continued walking behind until he was in between Snape and McGonagall.

"Professor Snape, Sir, could I ask you a question about that defensive spell you were teaching us today?" Dean started convincingly. Meanwhile, Ron nudged forward and removed the bottle of love potion from his robes, taking care to keep his hands under the cloak the whole time, he poured the contents into Snape's pumpkin juice. He then poked Dean in the side on his way back to the table and Dean finished up the conversation. "Yes Sir, thank you. I just wanted to double check on the pronunciations. Bye Sir."

Back at the table, Harry asked Ron what he had done, to which Ron replied "Just watch, this is going to be hilarious". They all turned their attention to Snape and watched him finish his pumpkin juice and then pull a face as though he had just swallowed an ear wax all flavour jelly bean, he then turned to McGonagall and his eyes widened.

"Minerva, have I told you how positively radiant you are looking this afternoon?" McGonagall looked up suddenly, dropping her fork and choking on a piece of potato she had just tried to swallow.

"Oh, Minerva, my sweet, are you ok? Here, let me pat your back". As Snape stood, McGonagall stood and raised her hands in protest, then pounded her chest with her fist, gasping for breath, "That'll be quite alright Professor" she chocked out. By this time, most of the staffing table were looking at what the commotion was about, in particular, Professor Flitwick, who had heard exactly what Snape had said.

"Are you sure darling?" Snape asked, concern evident on his greasy face, he pushed back a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of McGonagall's bun when she had been choking.

"Severus, I will ask you please, to keep your hands to yourself" she snapped as she swatted his hand away.

"You have the most beautiful eyes, Minerva". At this, McGonagall stood, brushed herself down and marched out of the great hall and left Snape staring wonderingly after her. Ron, Dean, Seamus, Harry and Ginny all doubled over with laughter. Hermione, however, decided to scorn Ron. "So that's what you wanted love potion for then, to play a prank on two teachers?" Ron laughed, "Yeah, why else would I want one?"

"You know what I have to do Ronald. And as a Prefect, you really should have known better."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before" Ron cut in "Come on then, what's my punishment? Detention? Letter to the parents? Dumbledore's office? Points taken?"

"How about no Quidditch for the rest of the year!" she growled bitterly, if he was going to act like a child, she was going to stop the one thing he wanted most. Fortunately for Ron, Harry jumped in, "Hermione, come on. It was just a bit of fun. Besides, Snape deserves it after all the things he's done to us." Harry knew that he'd get through to Hermione a lot easier than Ron would. "And if you ban him from Quidditch, you're not just punishing him, you're punishing the whole house. Please Hermione?" he begged. She pondered this for a while, finally sighing defeated, then growled that if he ever done anything like that again, she would stick him in detention on every practice night that term.

As Snape walked down the great hall on his way back to his dungeon, he stopped at Neville's seat. "Ah. Mr Longbottom" he almost sang, "it is my understanding that you sometimes deliver fresh flowers from the greenhouses to my dear Minerva's bedchambers. Would you be as kind as to tell me what those flowers are?"

"Err, ye…yes Sir. They're, err, white Tulips, Sir" Neville stammered nervously.

"Excellent" replied Snape cheerfully "50 points to Gryffindor. Such a lovely house. Minerva has raised them well."

Snape could be heard singing as he exited the hall and the 6 students burst into laughter. Hermione shook her head "You know they're only going to take those points away from us and more once they realise what happened!" she mumbled to Ron, he chose to ignore her. It was either that or yell at her and cause a huge argument in the middle of the hall, and he wasn't sure if he trusted himself to not say something he shouldn't.

Hermione couldn't handle it any longer, she had to get away from him. She stood up, shot him a warning look and stormed out of the hall in a huff. Ginny stared at him.

"WHAT?" he snapped at her.

"Someone has to go after her" she stated.

"Well I'm not going. You go if you're that bothered"

"You're the one that's upset her. And I know you bothered really"

Ron did nothing, he just sat there, continuing to eat his dinner.

"Fine, I'll go. But you can be such a git sometimes" she yelled back at him, then left the great hall.

Ginny found Hermione lying face down on her bed in her private Head Girl bedroom. She slowly walked over to the bed and gently sat down on the edge, gently placing her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Hey" she said in the softest voice she could manage.

Hermione mumbled something in between sobs that Ginny couldn't quite make out.

"Don't let my prat of a brother get to you"

"But he does Gin, you know he does, and I hate him for it" Hermione cried, finally sitting up and putting her head in her hands.

"You don't hate him. You just don't like him very much right now" Ginny replied coyly.

Ginny was right, she didn't hate him, she just didn't understand why he was acting the way he was. She had known that he had a problem with Krum ever since the Yule Ball, but she thought he had gotten over it.

"Gin, I just don't understand why he got so angry about Viktor and I. It isn't as if he has never had a girlfriend". Ginny looked at her friend, it was quit understandable why Ron had behaved the way he did; surely Hermione must have seen it.

"Mione, he was always jealous of Viktor, he was just upset that you didn't tell him about it".

Hermione was just about to answer when a scream echoed up the staircase.

"Ron, you can't do that, it's not fair". Hermione and Ginny ran down the steps to the common room. Standing in the middle of the room on top of one of the tables was Ron, he was reading aloud from a book that Lavender didn't want anyone to hear. It was her diary. A load of Gryffindors were crowded around laughing, more at the way Ron was reading than what he was reading.

"I can't believe Eric Crombie asked me to the Ball" Ron mimicked in a high pitched voice "Everyone thinks he's such a geek, but I think he's really cute and funny. I had to say no though. What would everyone think if they saw me with him?" Ron read. "Wow Lav, you're finally noticing the little people now huh?"

"Accio Diary" Hermione screamed as she fought her way to the front of the crowd, "Ronald, outside, NOW!" she growled as she marched towards the portrait hole.

"Uh Oh, I'm in for it now" he joked as he followed her outside.

"What did you think you were doing in there?" Hermione screamed once they were outside in the corridor.

"I was having fun, at least until you came along and ruined it" he growled back.

"And do you think Lavender was having fun?" she cried.

"Oh give it a rest Hermione. I've had enough of your lectures for one day. It's not as if you care anyway, after all the things she's done to you" Ron replied defensively,

"Oh right, so you're going after all the people that have ever been mean to me. That just makes it all better doesn't it." She stated sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself love, you're not the only person that she's ever been mean to you know. Or do you think so highly of yourself that you believe the world revolves around you" he regretted the words as soon as he had said them, he saw how much he had hurt her by saying that, but he couldn't give in now.

"I'm giving you detention for embarrassing Lavender. You have to clean out the dungeons on Sunday" she was trying so hard not to cry in front of him.

"Fine, whatever" he retorted as he followed her back into the common room.

Once in there, he saw that Jake was talking to Lavender, Ron was just about to go up to his dorm when Jake grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"That was out of order. What girls write in their diaries is private. You had no right to go through that" Jake said quietly trying his best to sound like a gentle man, Ron thought he sounded like a prat. "Oh yeah, and I spose you're their Knight in Shining armour"

Jake looked around to see if anyone could hear them, then leaned in closer to Ron "Jealous?" he said cockily and raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's only fair that you share something personal with us, considering you took it upon yourself to share Lavenders secrets" Jake said a little louder than before.

"Sod off" Ron growled through gritted teeth.

"He's afraid of spiders" Lavender spat viciously, "Hmm, I was thinking something more along the lines of what he did to you". He walked over to Lavender and whispered something in her ear, to which she nodded enthusiastically. Jake picked up Lavenders diary and started skimming through it.

"Jake" Hermione said as if to scold him

"Aha, here we go…'**_Tonight, I kissed Ron Weasley for the first time. I could tell that it was his first kiss. I didn't know whether to choke because he stuck his tongue so far down my throat or drown where it was so wet'_**. The whole common room erupted into laughter, except Hermione who was rooted to the spot with a look of disgust on her face, she remembered that night only too well. Ron was beet red and went to march out if the common room when Jake spoke up again.

"Here's another bit, just after you broke up…'**_I have no idea why he's a Gryffindor, he couldn't even pluck up the courage to break up with me. I don't know why I ever went out with him in the first place, probably because I felt sorry for him being such a bad Quidditch player. He'll never be like Harry Potter or Viktor Krum, so is it any surprise that Hermione Granger would never be interested in him. It's so obvious that he likes her but she knows that she can do so much better than him'._**

Hermione screamed at Jake to stop it and snatched the diary away from him, declaring that he too would be serving detentions in the dungeons on Sunday with Ron, they were to be supervised by her of course, just to make sure they didn't kill each other.

She then stared over at Ron, who looked like he was about to explode at any second, their eyes met and in that instant she saw so much hurt, that it almost shattered her heart. He then turned and stormed out of the common room, almost knocking the door off its hinges, much to the protests of the fat lady.

"Ron…Ron wait" Hermione called as she ran out after him. Ron spun around angrily, "Leave me alone. Go back to the man that deserves you" he spat bitterly.

"Ron, please. Can we talk about this?" she begged, Ron turned and continued to march down the hallway.

"RON" Hermione cried.

"FUCK OFF" Ron screamed at her "Why can't you just leave me alone. I don't want you anywhere near me" he actually sounded as though he meant it and this hurt Hermione more than he would ever know. She could do nothing after that but watch him walk away and disappear into the darkness.

It wasn't until a muffled yelp sounded that Ron realised that he wasn't alone.

"It's ok Harry, you can come out. I won't throw anything else" Ron said as he put down the chair he was about to launch across the room.

"I really don't think there's anything left to throw mate" joked Harry as he removed his invisibility cloak and surveyed the room. There were broken chairs and cabinets, curtains pulled down from the windows, pictures ripped down from the walls. It was a wonder that none of the teachers had come up.

"I put a silencing charm on the door" Ron said as if reading Harry's mind.

"Huh?"

"The room. I put a silencing charm on it so no-one would hear" Ron explained.

"Oh right. But what are you gonna do about the mess?" Harry questioned.

"Dunno. But it was either this or Jake" Harry nodded. "Do you want some help cleaning up?"

"Please" Ron laughed.

As they set about cleaning the classroom, Ron stopped again and nervously called to Harry. "Is she ok? Hermione I mean"

"She's a bit upset" Harry could see that it was killing Ron, "You still like her don't you?" he asked knowingly.

Ron looked back to Harry then shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded shyly.

"I know you miss her, and you don't have to apologise for everything. Just tell her that you want to be friends again" Harry tried.

"But I don't just want to be friends, and that's why it's so hard to be around her" Ron moaned.

"So tell her how you feel then……. Being friends again is a start at least" Harry continued when Ron looked at him as though he were crazy.

They finished the cleaning, with the help of a few spells, didn't take too much time at all, and walked back to the common room.

"Thanks Harry" Ron said before they gave the password to the fat lady. "No problem mate, Good luck" he placed a reassuring hand on Ron's shoulder. He was going to need all the luck he could get if he was going to apologise to Hermione.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Ron and Harry entered the common room, they noticed that only Ginny remained downstairs. Harry announced that he was tired and was going up to bed and quickly kissed Ginny goodnight on his way up. Ginny gave her brother a disgusted look and said that she too was going up to bed.

"Gin, could you tell Lavender to come down please. I want to talk to her"

"So you'll speak to Lavender but not Hermione. That's real nice of you Ron" She snapped.

"Ginny, please. I need to talk to her" he pleaded.

A few minutes later, Ron sat by the fire alone, wondering whether Lavender was going to come down or not when he heard the stairs creaking behind him, he turned and there stood Lavender. She stayed there on the steps with her arms folded across her chest defensively and she was glowering down on him. "What makes you think I want to talk to you?" she spat out.

"You came down didn't you?" Lavender sighed then dropped down on the sofa next to him. "Why did you do it?" she sounded so vulnerable. Ron looked at her and grimaced. "I thought it would be funny, I…I was stupid to do it and I truly am sorry." He told her sincerely.

"It's ok. It kind of backfired on you anyway, so you know" Ron went pink at the memory of what she had written, "Yeah, sorry about that" he said cringing.

"No, I'm sorry" Lavender said as she shook her head, "You weren't as bad as it sounded, and you did get a lot better. Why did you think I was always kissing you" at this, they both blushed and smiled shyly. "And the last bit, I didn't mean it." She continued, "It just hurt to be dumped, you know", "Yeah, I know" Ron agreed after a moment.

"I'm going to go back to bed. Do you want me to send Hermione down?" she asked as she got to her feet.

"If she'll come down, yes please. And Lav, Thank you". Lavender nodded wished him luck before heading up the stairs.

He didn't hear Hermione come down the stairs a few minutes later, he was too lost in his own thoughts about what he was going to say to her, as he heard her speak his name apprehensively, he turned to face her and let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding.

"Hey, I apologised to Lavender"

"I know, she said. You still have detention though" she stated authoritively.

"Merlin 'Mione, I know. That's not why I did it."

"Then why did you? What are you trying to get out of it?"

"I'm trying to make things right here Hermione. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I was a prat and she didn't deserve that." He looked up at Hermione to see how she was taking this, but he couldn't read anything from her, so he continued with why he wanted her down there. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean what I said. I do want you near me, and I'm sorry about the last couple of weeks, you know I hate not talking to you."

Hermione looked down and rubbed her temples, this whole business with Ron had left her with a headache. "We can't keep doing this Ron, you can't keep telling me who I can and can't see" she began, "I'm not Ginny, you can't act like the over protective brother"

"I know you're not Ginny, and I don't want you to think that I'm being over protective"

"Then why do you act the way you do? Why are you like this with Viktor and Jake? If there is something that you want to tell me, now is the time to do it" she asked almost challengingly. She had heard the rumours, of course she had, but until Ron said something to her, that's all they would be, rumours.

"I just think you can do so much better then Krum, that's all. You deserve better" Ron admitted.

"But you don't get to decide who is good enough for me Ron, that's my decision. I deserve to be happy." She answered back, slightly disappointed.

"I know you do, and I really want that, more than anything, it's just that…" he paused and looked into her eyes, why couldn't he just tell her.

"It's just what?" she breathed out hopefully, "Just be careful ok!" she sighed mournfully "I will".

They stood there for a few more minutes in silence, neither one knowing what to say next, it was only when a yawn escaped Hermione that Ron broke the silence, telling her that she should get back to bed. She nodded and walked to the stairs then turned towards him again, "Are we friends again?" she asked desperately.

"Yeah, of course." He smiled back at her.

As she got into bed, she started thinking that she should be glad that her and Ron were friends again, '_So why don't I feel glad then?'_ she though to herself, '_because you'll never be satisfied with just friends'_, the little voice inside her head told her. She buried her head in her pillow and moaned inwardly; life would be so much easier if she could just hate him.

The weeks had passed by quickly and things seemed to be back to normal between Ron and Hermione. They carried out Prefect duties together, talking comfortably as they made their rounds, although there were still the few awkward moments when a remark would be made, but they each did well to ignore it.

They had even joined Harry a few times, either to just hang out or to do homework. Hermione had even come down to watch them practice for Quidditch tryouts which were to be held on the Saturday before Ron and Jake's detention. It had felt like old times with the three of them together. Sure, she had also spent time with Jake, but Ron had promised that he wouldn't interfere, he didn't like it when Jake touched her, or he saw an affectionate look pass between them, but Ginny had assured him that nothing had happened yet. Which probably made the scene that he witnessed after tryouts even worse?

Hermione had agreed to go and support them all while they tried out, although it was a given that Ron and Ginny would reclaim their places on the team, but this time, Jake was also trying out.

Harry was the captain of the Gryffindor team, and as expected, Ron was named Keeper and Ginny as Chaser, not because they were close to Harry but because they were extremely talented in their positions. Ginny had scored all 5 of her shots on target, and Ron had saved 8 out of 10 shots. When it came to Jake's turn, Hermione held her breath in anticipation. Not that she needed to worry. Jake was trying out for the available Beater position, and he had managed to block most of the bludgers that headed his way, he had coincidentally missed the bludger that was headed for Ron, and it would have connected had Harry not yelled for him to duck just in time.

After the new team had been announced, Hermione ran over to the Weasley's and Harry, congratulating them and giving them all a hug. Ron had seemed to tense up at the contact, but he had managed to pass it off as general aches and pains after weeks of gruelling practices.

She had then left them to meet Jake from the changing rooms. "Hey, there you are" Hermione called to him as he came out of the tent. "why did you run off so quickly just now? I was only congratulating them."

"Oh, I, er, I think Ron still has a problem with me. I don't think he likes the idea of having to share you" Hermione laughed in disbelief. "Jake, he's just looking out for me. We're just friends". She was actually surprised to find that she actually believed it, then regretted that they weren't more, then kicked herself for thinking it while she as with Jake.

"And what are we?" Jake asked hopefully, "Well" Hermione hesitated, "I'm going to the dance with you, aren't I!" Jake smiled coyly, "Glad to hear it" he spoke in almost a whisper then leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Hermione was slightly taken aback by his boldness, that she almost pulled away, but Jake slipped his arms around her waist and held her tightly.

Finally, Hermione managed to break the kiss and she looked up at him. He was smiling down at her, "We should go inside, it's getting chilly". Hermione nodded her agreement, "I've got to get ready for the Prefect meeting tonight. Professor McGonagall has an announcement about the ball." Jake smiled at her again then took her hand and led her back inside the castle, looking back as he did so, '_Good' _he thought as he spied the one person he knew would have a problem with Hermione being his girlfriend.

As Ron, Ginny and Harry made their way up the hill towards the changing tent, Ron stopped dead in his tracks, standing there in full view of everyone, was Hermione and Jake kissing. It felt like someone had plunged a knife deep inside Ron's chest, and then twisted it again and again just to make sure it did the trick. Ginny and Harry stopped short when they saw them as well. Ginny walked up to Ron and put a hand on his arm, more to restrain him than comfort him. Ron just wanted to go over there and break the arms that were wrapped around the girl he loved. '_it should be me up there with her'_ he thought '_it should be my arms around her, me kissing her; all of it should be me'_. "Ron, are you ok?" Ginny asked sympathetically. "Yeah, course. It was bound to happen sooner or later, right?" he stated unconvincingly. It was one thing to know that she had kissed someone else; it was a different thing entirely to actually see it.

An hour later, Ron and Hermione were sat together, waiting for the Prefect meeting to commence. Ron had been quiet and Hermione was worried, she didn't believe him when he had told her he was tired and had a little bit of a headache, although she hadn't pressed the matter as he seemed to be getting annoyed with her asking all the time. "I wonder what the announcement is" Hermione wondered aloud, "Dunno, but we're about to find out" Ron told her as McGonagall waltzed into the room.

"Now, firstly, I would like to thank you all for coming on such short notice, I only have one quick announcement to make so I shall not keep you long. As a change of tradition concerning the ball, the first dance of the evening will be between the Prefects, that is to say, the two Prefects in the same year and house. Now, I understand that some of you already have partners, but I wish you all to make an exception, jut to get things going for the other students. That will be all".

As Ron realised what this meant, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and spared a quick glance at Hermione, who seemed absolutely fine with it. '_At least she can be mature about this'_.

"So you finally get that dance then" Hermione teased as they made their way to the common room. Ron had admitted in the truth or dare game during the summer that he had wanted to dance with Hermione at the Yule Ball, but he had been afraid that she'd say no. He had managed to avoid any further questions after that.

"Yeah, but won't Jake mind?" Ron asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Why would Jake mind?"

"Well, he is your boyfriend?" he noticed the look of confusion on her face and continued, "You were kissing earlier after tryouts, so you know, I just assumed that he was".

"Oh, you saw that" Hermione asked, feeling her face heat up.

"Yeah, all 3 of us did"

"Ron, listen…"

"No, it's ok. I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it. It's your choice remember, and I'm sure if you need anything, you'll ask right?"

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Er, right. Yes of course"

"So, is he your boyfriend?" Ron asked a couple of minutes later, wanting Hermione to believe that he was ok.

"I don't know, he hasn't asked me" she replied absently.

"Well, I think that if I asked you to a dance then kissed you like that, I'd definitely consider you my girlfriend" he uncharacteristically flirted, ignoring the blush that crept up on both their faces.

"You know, it worries me that sometimes you make more sense of me than I do" she teased. She couldn't believe he was being so calm about this, she was sure that they would end up arguing about it, but he had seen it and he was completely fine with it.

Again, she was finding it hard to ignore the slight feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of her stomach. Maybe the rumours weren't true; maybe he did just see her as a friend.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Harry, I don't want to go" whined Ron as he got ready for his detention with Jake.

"It'll be fine Ron, at least someone else will be down there with you"

"Yeah, and that's why I don't want to go" Harry smiled sympathetically at his friend, he knew how hard Ron was trying to accept Hermione's relationship. "He's just gonna talk about how great Hermione is, and how they're having so much fun together, kissing all the time"

"Then you'll have a lot to talk about then won't you! And if he gets too much, just let it slip that you kissed her before he did" Harry teased.

"That's not funny Harry" Ron moaned.

"Look, she had to go through it when you were with Lavender you know"

"It was hardly the same though, she never had a huge crush on me".

"If you say so mate" Harry smiled smugly.

Ron continued to grumble as they headed for the dungeons, he had convinced Harry and Ginny to walk down with him on their way to the library, for all the help they were, they were so far behind him in their own little world.

As they turned the corner, Ron stopped abruptly, causing Harry and Ginny to bump right into him, "Ron, what are you…" "Ssshhh" Ron cut Ginny off and motioned to the dungeon door. Jake had Hermione pulled against him and they were kissing again.

Ron cleared his throat to announce their presence and Hermione pulled away giggling. '_She never giggles'_ Ron thought horrifically.

Hermione picked up her school bag, mumbling that she better get going, she had a lot of homework to do and she wasn't staying because they should be trusted to behave. She smiled warily at Ron as she passed him and he smiled back at her to let her know that he was ok. She still couldn't believe that he was being this mature.

Jake smiled then turned into the dungeons. Ron looked back over his shoulder at Harry and silently pleaded with him, Harry grinned then grabbing Ginny by the hand, turned and walked in the other direction.

They had only been in the dungeon a few minutes before Jake started taunting Ron, he had quickly got to talking about what he had planned for Hermione's birthday and how well they were doing. "Yeah, you seem to be having a blast" Ron said distantly.

Jake smiled, "sorry about just now, you know what new relationships are like, you just can't keep your hands off each other" he continued taunting.

Ron thought back to what Harry had said before , he didn't want to encourage it, but he didn't see Jake stopping any time soon, so it sort of slipped out, "Yep, and I know what it's like to kiss Hermione as well", he looked over his shoulder at Jake who seemed completely shocked, at least that smug grin had been wiped off.

"Now can we get to cleaning, I don't want to spend a whole Sunday cleaning, I'll take this half, you take that half".

Jake said nothing for a few minutes as he got to work on his side, then, "Do you have a problem with me seeing Hermione?" Ron huffed, clearly irritated, "No, I don't have a problem with it. But if you ever hurt her, in any way, I'll have a huge problem with you".

"Is that a threat?" Jake asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really want to find out?" Ron growled warningly. Jake backed off at this, as much as he wanted to get to Ron, he still wanted his face in one piece, and he could sense that he was getting extremely close to being beaten to a pulp.

They spent the next two hours dusting shelves, mopping floors, shaking down the dusty old tapestries and wiping down the walls. Finally, they finished and Jake stood against the wall cleaning his hands as he scanned the room, "You missed a bit" he said to Ron, gesturing towards an old, dusty chest in the corner of the room. Ron looked and grimaced, "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere near it".

"Why?".

"Because that's where they keep the boggart ready for DADA, and I really don't fancy seeing any giant spiders today" Ron replied as he too cleaned himself up and walked towards the door.

"Really?" Jake asked, intrigued.

"Really, so I wouldn't go near it if I were you". He warned then he opened the door saying that he'd see him upstairs and walked back up the steps.

Jake smiled as a thought occurred to him. Hermione would be down in a few minutes, and what was a few minutes of fear compared to Ron being around Hermione all the time posing a constant threat. He was still smiling as he opened the lid of the chest and prepared himself for his biggest fear.

As Hermione made her way down the winding staircase that led to the dungeon, she was sure she had heard a scream, deciding that it must be Peeves terrorising the first years, she thought nothing else of it. That is until she got to the bottom of the stairs and heard whimpering coming from the dungeon.

She carefully opened the door and peeped inside. She saw Jake cowering in the corner, he was staring wide-eyed at the other side of the room. There stood Voldermort, sneering down at a lifeless body.

'_Hang on, this can't be real, Voldermorts dead. Harry killed him'_ and then she saw it, the dusty old chest in the corner, the lid was wide open. Jake must have opened it not knowing what was in there.

She walked over to the Boggart, holding her wand tightly in her hand, shaking as she saw that the lifeless body was her. Voldermort had used the killing curse on her. She lifted her wand as the Boggart started to change form, Ron came into view, he was staring at her with disgust, Hermione shook, '_I can't do it'_ she thought as the Boggart stepped closer to her.

"You're nothing to me" Boggart Ron sneered, "How could you be anything to anyone, you're disgusting. They're all right about you, insufferable little know-it-all".

"Ridikkulus" Hermione croaked, still, the Boggart advanced on her. "I hate you, and if you ever come near me again, I'll kill you".

"RIDIKKULUS" Hermione screamed as she crumpled to the floor crying. The Boggart quickly changed form to an overgrown carrot with a mop of thick red hair, before flying back into the chest.

Hermione composed herself and crawled over to Jake, kneeling down beside him.

"Jake, its ok. It wasn't real, it's gone now" she said soothingly.

Jake shook his head, "Ron, it was Ron." Hermione looked down ashamed, "yes, I know, I'm sorry Jake" she begun, she thought he was referring to the Boggart, "No" Jake stopped her, "Ron did it. He told me to… to open it".

Hermione shook her head, "No, he wouldn't do that, he'd never be so cruel" She didn't believe that he would do something like that, "Jake, listen, you're in shock. We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey". Hermione told him as she got to her feet and let him drape his arm over her shoulder for support.

Once Hermione had gotten Jake to the hospital wing and he had been given some chocolate to calm him down, he explained what had happened.

Jake had told Ron that he had missed a spot and Ron had said that he didn't want to do it and that Jake could. As Jake was already finished, he decided to help Ron out, but as Voldermort stepped out of the chest, Ron sniggered and told him that he'd never have Hermione.

"No, he wouldn't do that" Hermione gasped once Jake had finished telling the story, "He's fine with this" she said it more to herself than to Jake.

"Hermione, he was taunting me the whole time. He said that you two had kissed and no matter how close you got to anyone, he's the one that you'll always go to, and that I was no different. He even said that he'd kill me if I ever went near you again".

"I'm going to talk to him, there must be a misunderstanding" Hermione announced, standing up.

"Hermione, just think about this for a second" Jake said grabbing her hand before she had the chance to walk away, he stared at her intently, trying to convince her that he wouldn't make it up. "You do believe me, don't you?"

Hermione collected all her thoughts, initially, she would never believe that he would do that. But then where had he been when she got back to the dungeon, and why didn't he tell Jake what was in the chest. But Ron would only do something like that to someone he hated, like Malfoy, but he didn't like Jake, and he had been so calm about the two of them. But Ron had gone on his mini revenge spree, and Jake had embarrassed him really bad. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she realised that she did believe Jake.

She looked back down at him and nodded sadly, then she turned and stormed out of the hospital wing. Jake smiled, '_Mission_ _accomplished'_ he thought, there was no way she was forgiving Ron for this.

Ron was sitting in the common room talking to Harry and Ginny, he hadn't seen Hermione all day, but then she had Jake now so he really didn't want to think too much about where they would be or what they would be doing.

"Ron, you're not even listening are you?" Ginny asked, "Huh, oh, yeah sorry. Look, I'm tired. I'm just gonna go to bed, see you in the morning". Ron got inside his dorm room, stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He was just nodding off to sleep when he heard screaming downstairs.

"WHERE IS HE HARRY?" he heard Hermione yell, then feet pounding on the staircase, the door flew open and Hermione marched over to him, not caring that he was half naked.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?"

"What? Hermione, can I get dressed before you start yelling at me" Ron asked, confused at what he had done this time.

"Oh for gods sake Ronald, hurry up". Ron quickly got dressed and went over to her, "Ok, so what have I done now?" he asked calmly.

"Don't give me that. I thought you were fine with it. Why did you have to do it, you promised me you wouldn't do anything".

"I didn't do anything Hermione" Ron cut in.

"Don't lie to me. You know what this is about. I know you don't like him, but to do what you did" She gasped disbelievingly.

"What did I do" Ron demanded a little louder than he had planned.

"The Boggart!" Hermione stated.

"Oh, that. I thought you'd be happy that I did that"

"Ha…happy? You thought I'd be happy about it" Hermione scoffed in disbelief, "Ron, I found Jake shaking in the corner, Voldermort was standing over my body. That's what his Boggart turned into. How am I supposed to be happy about that?"

Ron continued to stare at her in disbelief, "But 'Mione, I didn't know he had a Boggart, I told him not to go near the chest"

"Oh really, so why weren't you down there? It all adds up Ron, I know you did it. I just want to know why"

"Hermione, I said I wasn't going to clean it because there was a Boggart in there and if I were him, I wouldn't go near it either"

"Then how did it get out?"

"I don't know, maybe he opened it himself" Ron suggested.

"Why would he do that? It's completely absurd"

"I don't know what to say Hermione. I didn't do it, but you obviously don't believe me"

"You're right Ron, I don't believe you. Jake has no reason to lie" Hermione tried to reason.

"So you're going to believe your new boyfriend who you've known for a month, over your best friend that you've trusted with your life for 7 years"

"He's never given me any reason not to believe him"

"And I have I suppose. You really think I could do that, set a Boggart on some one. You really think I'm that careless?"

"YES I DO" she shouted back. Ron stood there stunned. She honestly thought that about him?

At that point, Dean, Neville and Seamus entered the dorm wondering what all the noise was about, but Hermione huffed and walked out. Ron was quick behind her.

"Hermione, if you're going to accuse me of something like this, you don't get to just walk away" he shouted as he followed her down the stairs.

"Why would you believe that I'd do it?"

"Because you did the same with Viktor" Hermione replied stubbornly without turning back to him.

"I didn't do anything to Viktor" Ron replied nonchantly.

"Yes you did. You kept telling me he was using me and he wasn't good enough for me" Hermione reminded him.

"He **wasn't** good enough for you" Ron stated truthfully "Just like Jake isn't".

"And who is good enough for me Ron, is anyone?" Hermione screamed back at him, turning on her heel to face him.

Harry and Ginny shot up from the couch, they knew what was coming, "Ron, Hermione, calm down. Let's talk about this rationally" Ginny tried. The last thing she wanted was for Ron to tell Hermione how he felt during a blazing row, although it did seem somewhat fitting considering their history.

"SHUT UP GINNY" Hermione yelled unexpectedly. "Well?" She questioned Ron again.

"No, no-one's good enough for you, because no-one else would treat you the way you deserve to be treated"

"Oh and you would I suppose?" Hermione yelled at him

"Yeah, I would" he screamed back at her.

They both stood looking at each other, Hermione's mouth hanging open in shock, Ron, face burning in anger and frustration. Ginny and Harry looking between the two.

He hung his head as he walked shakily over to her and took a hold of her hands in his. She could see the desperation and fear in his eyes as he looked up at her again.

He knew that he had to tell her the truth now; he had already said too much to ignore. He took a deep breath, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally saying;

"I'm not saying that I'm good enough for you, because I don't think anyone is. What I'm trying to say is that I'm crazy about you, and I always have been. I'd treat you the way you should be, I would do anything to make you happy, or I'd die trying. If you thought I was holding you back before, then I'm sorry, but I don't want to lose you, especially to someone that would only end up hurting you". He looked into her eyes and he saw nothing. No recognition, no feeling. She didn't seem to care that he felt that way, and this hurt him more than anything. He knew that she'd reject him, but she didn't even care.

"The only person that has ever hurt me Ron, is you" She stated coldly as she yanked her hands away from his and headed for the girls staircase.

"'Mione, please" Ron called desperately.

"You don't get to call me that, ever again" she told him, losing all the anger she had previously been showing, she then turned and continued to march up the stairs, leaving Ron to stare after her.

Ginny and Harry walked over to him, "Ron" Ginny started, "Don't…just don't" he stopped her and held up his hands. He then turned and marched up the stairs to his own dormitory.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It had been a week since the incident with the Boggart, and word had spread very quickly. Ron had received three nights worth of detention. As if that wasn't enough, he had had a huge blow-out with the boys from his dorm and had to put up with the girls making snide comments about him whenever he walked past about how immature and pathetic he was.

He had stopped pleading his innocence a couple of days before, he realised it was a waste of time; no-one would believe him, especially with Jake laying it on really thick, and Ron's recent behaviour. Of course, it had also come out that Ron had admitted to liking Hermione, so, people had come to their own conclusion.

The only people still there for him were Harry and Ginny, but they were still friends with Hermione, so Ron had to endure the torture of sitting at the same table as Hermione and Jake, although, sitting in the girls bathroom with Moaning Myrtle seemed like a better option at times, particularly now.

The Halloween Ball was only 4 weeks away, and all the girls were getting overly excited. Hermione and Ginny were no exception, they sat at the table eating dinner, discussing what they were wearing, how they were going to do their hair and how the hall would be decorated. Harry and Jake exchanged knowing looks, they knew the girls would be talking about this until the end of the ball, and even then, they'd still talk about how the night went.

Harry had asked Ron the day after the argument if he wanted Harry to stop talking to Jake, he'd feel awkward around Hermione but he'd understand if Ron didn't want him to be Jakes friend. Ron had been very mature about the situation and told Harry that it wasn't his fight, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble by making Hermione angry at Harry.

He began to deeply regret saying that as Harry and Jake started up a conversation about Quidditch. This was too much for him; he couldn't sit here anymore being ignored by both of his best friends.

With as much breakfast as he could manage eaten, and highly doubting that anyone would miss him, he decided to head out to the fields to get some extra practice in.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ginny asked as she noticed her brother climb out of his seat.

"Just to get some practice in" he said dismissively.

"But you've only had one serving, and you didn't even finish that" she joked.

"I'm not really hungry. I'll see you later Gin" he called back as he made his way away from the table. Ginny looked at Harry, they had both been worried about him, but had not yet brought it up, so Harry just nodded for her to go after him. She told Hermione that she would speak to her later. Hermione didn't say anything, she was too busy watching after him.

"Mind if I join you?" Ginny asked Ron when she finally caught up with him.

"It's ok Gin, you don't have to" he told her.

"I know, but I want to". Ron relented and allowed his sister to tag along.

"So, how are you doing?"

"I'm ok. Why?"

"Ron, I know you better than you think" she stated, it still scared him how much she was like their mother.

"It's just hard sometimes, you know, everyone's getting on with their lives and it just kinda feels like I'm being left behind". Ginny looked at her brother sympathetically, "I don't want you feeling sorry for me Gin" Ron remarked, noticing the look she was giving him.

"I'm sorry. I just wish there was something I could do" She apologised.

They left the conversation while they were practicing. If she couldn't do anything to make it better, she'd at least try to take his mind off it for awhile.

They pretty much played in silence, only talking to tease each other when Ginny scored or Ron saved one of her Quaffles. He had forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with her on her own.

They walked along the corridor back to the common room laughing and joking. Ron stopped her when they got to the portrait hole, "Gin, thanks for today, it really helped".

Ginny smiled at him, "You're welcome". Her expression changed suddenly.

" What?" Ron asked worriedly.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but, you didn't do it do you?" Ron sighed and shifted about, "Gin…"

"No, look. It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that someone set the Boggart on him, and he'd be pretty stupid to do it himself. So I'm just asking if you didn't do it, then who did?". Ron looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before replying "I don't know Gin. I agree, he'd be pretty stupid to do it himself, and I'm not denying that I haven't thought about causing him great pain. But I didn't do it. I had too much to lose."

"Ok, I knew you didn't, but I had to ask" Ginny told him.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful around him, there's just something about him that I don't trust"

"I know what you mean. I'll be careful, I promise".

And with that, they gave the fat lady the password and joined the usual commotion of Gryffindor House.

"You missed the Prefect meeting yesterday!" Hermione stated coldly as she made her rounds with Ron. It was the first lot of rounds they had carried out together since the argument. It had been very awkward walking around together and they had gone half the night without saying a word to each other, and she hadn't spoken to him all week, so it more than surprised him that she was the one that spoke first.

"Yeah I know. I was practicing and lost track of time. I'm sorry" he answered softly.

"You know, I could give you detention for it" she stated authoritively.

"Yep. When and where? I'll do whatever you want" he wouldn't fight this, he knew there wasn't any point, and he didn't want to make it any worse than it already was.

Hermione however, was looking for a fight. She was still reeling from Ron's confession, and she was mad at him for what he did to Jake. It was all his fault that this was happening and she just wanted to scream and shout at him, let out everything that she was feeling.

How could he just tell her how he felt now, after all these years, and when she was with someone else? A part of her wondered whether or not he really did like her or whether it was just the first thing that came to mind when he realised she didn't believe him about the Dungeon.

It was really confusing her, he had denied that he had done it, and it wasn't like him to be so callous, she had just said those things because she was angry at him. But, he hadn't been the same since their original argument about Viktor.

Looking back on the whole event, she didn't know if she was angrier about what had happened to Jake or that Ron had told her he was crazy about her. She knew what she should be angrier about, but the argument had ended when he had told her, and she just wanted to scream and yell at him for making her so confused, for turning her life upside down.

But if she yelled at him, it wouldn't be his fault anymore, so she decided to nag him until he yelled at her. But he wasn't going to rise to the bait.

"Thank you. I won't miss another one, I swear" he replied calmly. It was his calmness that got to her more than anything. She shook her head at him and muttered something angrily under her breath and stormed off without him.

Jake hadn't wanted Hermione to go on her rounds with Ron, he had tried convincing her that she'd only end up arguing with him and then she'd be more upset. She had gone though, Jake had the feeling that she wanted to argue, so Jake had been left to sit with Harry and Ginny.

He was on edge, he couldn't help but think that Ron would take advantage of the time alone and try to convince her that he was innocent, and so every time the portrait hole opened, he was expecting Hermione to march in, her wand raised to him.

"You're abit jumpy tonight Jake" Ginny observed.

"I'm just worried about Hermione. She's been a bit reserved recently"

"Really" Ginny said, forcing herself to sound surprised, "She's been fine around me". Harry looked at his girlfriend knowingly.

"Oh, ok. Erm, I better get on with this homework, it's due next Wednesday, and she'll kill me if it isn't done by the weekend. Speak to you later." He said as he stalked over to the dormitory stairs.

"What are you up to?" Harry asked once Jake was out of earshot. "Nothing"

"Hermione's been quiet all week" Harry reminded her.

"I know, but he doesn't" she carried on wickedly.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked again.

"Nothing. I'm just being observant".

She wasn't lying. Ever since her conversation with Ron, she had tried to catch Jake out. She had noticed a few things, like how he would be on edge when Hermione wasn't right next to him, and how he was always trying to, not so subtly, find out what Ron was doing.

She had even tried talking to him about the night of the Boggart, see if he changed any of the details, but so far, he had been reluctant to talk about it, insisting that the whole experience was too traumatic to relive over and over again.

"GINNY" Harry pressed more firmly, "I'm just trying to figure out what happened down in the dungeons, that's all" Ginny huffed.

"So Ron told you he didn't do it"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"You did!" Harry reminded her

"Well, do you think he did?" Ginny asked, getting a little annoyed now.

"I'm not saying he did or didn't. But why would Jake lie? I've seen Ron when he's mad at someone, and Jake really embarrassed him"

"So you do think he did it!" Ginny accused.

"I told you, that's not what I'm saying. But if he didn't, who did?"

"I don't know Harry. But he's lost Hermione because of it. Do you really think he'd put his relationship with her at risk like that".

Harry thought for a moment, of course, he knew that Ron didn't do it, but he couldn't help but wonder. Especially with everyone saying the same thing, it was just like when Ron had believed that Harry had put his name in the Goblet of Fire. It didn't mean he was any less of a friend.

"Just don't do anything stupid ok. Promise me".

"I promise" Ginny would get to the bottom of this.

Maybe she should talk to Hermione, try to get her to understand everything. She'd need to do a bit more digging first though, Hermione mainly operated on facts and reasoning, and that wasn't going to be easy to get.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Harry, why do we have to practice again?" Ron asked his best friend as they walked down to the pitch. The first Quidditch match of the year was in 3 days, and Harry had insisted on practicing every day.

"You know why. Ginny and Jake can't play without yelling at each other, you keep getting moody because Hermione comes down to see him play. If you three don't sort it out, we have no chance of ever beating Ravenclaw" Harry explained. Ravenclaw were the toughest opponents next to Slytherin, and Harry thought that if they didn't get past them, they were done for the rest of the year.

"So why don't you kick him off the team then, it sounds like he's the problem" Ron suggested hopefully.

"I'm not kicking him off the team, he was the best one I tried out. You two are just gonna have to put your feelings towards him aside for match days".

"Don't let Ginny hear you say that mate, otherwise you'll end up miserable with me" Ron half joked.

"You have half the school after you mate, if you really wanted a girlfriend, it wouldn't be that hard to find one. I could speak to Ginny." reminded Harry.

"I don't want just any girl though Harry" sighed Ron.

"I know, but maybe it would help, you never know"

"I already tried that with Lavender, and I'm still pining after Hermione".

"What?" came a voice from behind them. They turned to see Hermione standing there, she looked nervous, Ron noticed.

"Why were you talking about me? I heard you say my name."

Ron looked at Harry in a panic, "We were just talking about your birthday" Harry said, then grimaced when he realised that her birthday had already gone.

"Right! Ron, can I have a word please, in private?" Hermione asked uneasily.

Ron looked at Harry again who merely shrugged, "I'll see you down there, don't be long", he called over his shoulder as he continued down the hill to the pitch.

Hermione glanced up at him then looked back down again, she could tell that he was hoping she was about to apologise, and although she missed him, she wasn't ready to forgive him, and she definitely wasn't going to apologise for what he had done.

"What's up?" Ron asked finally breaking the tension filled silence between them.

"Why were you talking about me? My birthday already happened and Harry is a really bad liar anyway!"

"Would you believe me if I said we were talking about your next one?" Ron asked cheekily, Hermione couldn't help but smile, "No" she replied simply.

"He's trying to set me up I think". He studied her for any reaction.

"Oh.". They stood for a few more minutes in silence before Ron, getting annoyed, decided to break it again, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, we have the dance coming up and we're not really talking now, so I was just wondering if you were still ok with having the first dance?" It had sounded so much better in her head when she had been thinking about what to say to him.

"Do you have a problem having the first dance?" Ron tried, he so desperately wanted to tell her that he wanted it more than anything but now wasn't the time to start an argument.

"It's going to be awkward, admittedly, but it is part of the rules now, and I don't want to break the rules".

"Well if it's part of the rules, I guess we haven't got much of a choice really have we!" Ron replied bitterly, he didn't want to argue, but if she was going to be like this, then so was he.

"I didn't mean it like that Ron. I just meat that…." "No it's fine" Ron cut her off "I'm head boy right, I can't be seen breaking the rules. I'll see you later". Then he stormed off to the pitch to join his team mates.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ginny yelled a little when they were on their brooms, "YOU AREN'T THE ONLY CHASER ON THIS TEAM. I WAS WIDE OPEN, WHY DIDN'T YOU PASS TO ME?".

"It's only a practice Gin" Jake replied calmly as he flew up to her.

"AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN WE'RE ACTUALLY PLAYING? AND DON'T CALL ME GIN!" she continued to yell.

"I saw the opportunity and I took it, unfortunately, it didn't work".

"REALLY" Ginny retorted sarcastically. Harry zoomed in between them, "Calm down you two. We have three days left until the game, and if you both carry on like this, I'm going to be forced to punish both of you" he said, focusing more on Ginny than Jake, "Why are you telling me off?" Ginny asked disbelievingly.

"I'm telling you both" he said warningly, "I don't want you doing this tomorrow, practice is over" he sighed defeated, he really was getting tired of all the arguments.

As he descended to the ground, he saw Hermione walking towards him, "Hey, bad practice?" she asked sympathetically.

"Yep, they've been like it all week. I don't know what's got into her" Harry started. "Don't blame her Harry, she is a Weasley after all" she said sadly as she watched the two Weasley's walk towards them, She really did miss Ron, even missed arguing with him.

"I'll see you later Harry".

"Why were you blaming me for that?" Ginny snapped at Harry once they had reached him.

"Because you're the one that always starts the argument"

"And you don't think he deserves it, Harry, he provokes me. You saw what he did up there" Ginny yelled, waving her hands towards the sky.

"You don't always have to rise to it though. I know you don't like him, but you have to work together or we'll never win"

Ron watched the heated exchange between his best friend and sister, they had been biting at each other all week and he was beginning to get sick of it. "OK STOP IT" he roared, "You two shouldn't be arguing about this, now give it a rest" he continued to yell over his shoulder as he stormed off towards the castle.

"What's up with him?" Harry asked baffled.

"Maybe if you actually listened to him instead of defending Jake all the time, you'd know wouldn't you" she replied snappily then stormed off leaving Harry to stare after her in a state of bewilderment.

Ginny sat on the bottom step of the girls' staircase watching Harry and Jake having a very animated conversation about Quidditch, She hadn't really spoken to Harry much since their argument. He had tried talking to her, but she had told him that she was still annoyed and that it probably wasn't a good idea to talk to her yet.

But she was bored and she needed to speak to someone. Hermione had gone off in a huff at dinner, she hadn't seemed happy with Jake when they had arrived at the Great Hall, and didn't speak much during dinner, much to Rons' pleasure.

'_She probably wants someone to talk to after the mood she was in'_, Ginny thought so she decided to go up to Hermiones' room and hang out with her instead.

"Hey, can I come in?" she asked as she got to the top of the stairs and creaked open her door slightly.

"Of course, come in. Are you ok?" Hermione asked as she sat up to give Ginny a little more space to sit on the bed, "Where's Harry?"

"Downstairs, sitting very cosily with your boyfriend. It was kinda boring being there with them. We had an argument as well, so I'm trying to stay away for a bit."

"Where's Ron? You guys have been hanging out a lot recently"

"In his dorm. He doesn't really spend much time in the common room anymore" Ginny told her. "What about you, why aren't you with Jake?"

Hermione sighed heavily, "We had our first argument. He doesn't want me to have the first dance with Ron, I told him it's the rules now but he keeps insisting that I want to dance with Ron" she explained hurriedly.

Ginny smiled "Do you want to dance with him?". Hermione shot her a death glare, "What? Of course not, the very idea is insane!" she replied haughtily, "Why would you even ask that?"

"Because you've had a huge crush on my brother for as long as I can remember and a crush like that doesn't just go away. I know you miss him, why don't you just talk to him?"

Hermione sighed, she knew she'd regret telling Ginny this, and she wasn't entirely sure Ginny would keep it to herself. "He was my Boggart Gin".

"Huh?" Ginny asked confused.

Hermione looked up at her and rolled her eyes.

"Ron. He was my Boggart. When I met Jake, first it was Voldermort, then it turned into Ron." She paused to swallow the lump that always seemed to make its presence known whenever she thought about it, "He told me that he hated me, that I was worthless and he never wanted me near him again. I never wanted him to hate me" she finished, her voice faltering. Ginny placed her hand on her friends arm sympathetically.

"He doesn't hate you, you know that. He thinks you hate him, and you're not really doing anything to prove him wrong"

"He set a Boggart on Jake, how can I just forgive him?" Hermione said desperately, why couldn't anyone see that what Ron had done was wrong?

"Oh come on Hermione, think about it, what would he get out of doing it? He had nothing to gain and everything to lose, which he has by the way"

"And I haven't? She shot back, "I don't know why I even told you about my Boggart, you obviously don't care" Hermione moaned childishly.

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration, "I don't want to argue with you Mione. I'm not denying that what happened to Jake was horrible, it really was, and I'm sorry that it turned you as well…" she paused to make sure that Hermione was taking it all in, "….but Ron didn't do it,. I don't know who did, but it wasn't him. He's admitted to not liking or trusting Jake, but he knows that if he tried anything you wouldn't talk to him again. He may be a stubborn git but he's not stupid. Do you honestly, deep down in your heart, believe that he could that?"

Hermione continued to sit there in silence, and after a few minutes of waiting for her to say something, Ginny finally gave in and went to the door, "Please just think about it Mione, he misses you", then she left her bushy haired friend alone to, hopefully, think.

Hermione had been thinking about it though, that was the problem, she hadn't stopped, it was why she had been so reserved around Jake. She didn't want to believe that Ron was guilty, but everything pointed to him doing it.

Ron had always been jealous, the way he was with Viktor proved that, and he had done some horrible things in the days leading up to it.

Jake wouldn't lie to her either, not about something like that. He knew what Ron meant to her and how much it would hurt to not have him in her life, so why would he blame Ron for no reason. It couldn't be out of jealousy, Hermione was still with him, even after Ron had told her that he was crazy about her.

"Why can't I stop thinking about this?" she groaned to herself in frustration, "Maybe if I just spoke to Ron about it, my mind would rest a little bit, understand why he had done it" she thought, it wouldn't be easy, down right awkward if anything. But it was the only thing she could do.

She decided to talk to him the next morning, she would ask when she went down to breakfast.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Walking past the Slytherin table was never a pleasant thing, especially when a Quidditch match was coming up; it was even more unpleasant with them shouting out things about what had happened in the dungeons with Jake.

"I don't know how they expect to actually win matches when they're setting Boggarts on each other" Ron heard as he walked past a group of 4th year boys on his way to his seat.

"Hey Weasel, glad to see you've finally come to your senses and started torturing half-bloods, next you'll be attacking the mud-blood" Malfoy drawled, echoed by Crabbe and Goyle laughing by his side.

"Shove off Malfoy" Ron growled dangerously through gritted teeth. He chose to carry on walking; he didn't want to risk getting into more trouble by having a stand off with Malfoy in the middle of the hall.

As he got closer to where Harry and Ginny sat, he noticed that Hermione and Jake were having a heated discussion. He couldn't deny that he was interested, it was the second day in a row that they had been like this, even he got some kind of rest period between arguments.

Jake seemed to be pleading with Hermione and threw his hands up in the air, noticing Ron getting nearer. He stopped talking and glared at Ron; Hermione followed his gaze and took a deep breath when she spotted Ron. She quickly said something to him and then climbed over the bench.

Ron prepared himself to be ignored, maybe even huffed at, when she walked past him, much to his surprise, she approached him carefully.

"Hello" She said softly as she reached him.

"Er, Hello" he replied. He couldn't help noticing that she looked nervous.

"You have a free period this afternoon after lunch, don't you?" Hermione asked.

'_Great, her and Jake have the same free period, she wants to know if I'm gonna be around or not'_, Ron thought sullenly.

"Yeah, but I won't be in the common room, so you'll be alone" He couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Actually, I was hoping that you'd take a walk with me?" Hermione said, looking carefully up at him.

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to" he said eagerly. This was the second time in two days that she had spoken to him, he couldn't help but be happy. The feeling only increasing when Jake stomped past them grouchily.

"I'll meet you here at lunch then if that's ok?" She asked.

"Yeah , that's fine, whenever you want is fine with me".

Hermione nodded and brushed past him to follow Jake, but then turned a few seconds later, "Ron… Thank you" she said sincerely. He smiled his lop-sided grin at her and thanked her in return. She grinned back at him shyly and brushed that damn loose lock of hair behind her ear. Realising what it looked like, she cleared her throat and turned. As she was walking out of the hall, she was conscious of him watching her, why was she still affected like that. She had a boyfriend and they weren't even really friends, she shouldn't be shy in front of him anymore.

Ron turned back as soon as Hermione was out of sight and finished his walk to the table looking happier than he had in days.

"So you gonna meet her later then?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"Yep. And did you see Jake's face? He weren't happy" Ron grinned.

"What do you think she wants though? Usually you just start talking again, you don't do the whole discussion thing" Harry reminded him.

"Who cares, at least she's talking to me again."

Morning classes had passed by slowly. Of course they had, time always did seem top slow down when you were looking forward to something, same as when it sped up when you were dreading something. And he really was looking forward to talking to Hermione.

As they sat in their classes, Ron found it highly amusing watching Jake and Hermione. He seemed to be regularly protesting to her meeting with Ron and she kept shooting him down, refusing to cancel it. On quite a few occasions, Harry had to kick Ron under the table to stop him from sniggering.

Finally, lunch came and Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting talking, having just finished their lunch. Ginny was giving Ron some last minute advice on how to not screw it up when Hermione approached.

"Are you ready Ron?" She asked casually.

"Yes, just give me a second". Hermione nodded and Ron returned his attention to his sister. "Thank you for this Gin. I owe you".

Ginny smiled up at her brother, she had missed happy Ron. "It's ok, now go. Good luck".

Ron nodded then turned back to Hermione, "Ok, let's go".

They walked out of the castle in silence, there was still a slight awkwardness between them, it was only to be expected though, Ron thought to himself. They hadn't been alone together since before he had told her he liked her, and truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure what to say to her.

They didn't speak until they reached the tree that the trio had spent many long hours relaxing together.

"So, how have you been?" Ron asked, he couldn't handle the silence any longer, he had to say something, no matter how trivial the conversation.

"Ok, lots of homework. I've already started studying for the N.E.W.T's, but then you probably already guessed that" She replied sheepishly.

Ron smiled affectionately, "You started studying for them last year!" he said cheekily.

Hermione giggled, this was not why she had asked Ron out here, they needed to talk. But how was she supposed to talk to him when she all she could think of was how good it felt to be smiled at like that, how it would feel to be in his arms, how much she wanted to just reach out and kiss him, she had to stop it, but he was still smiling at her in that way that made her insides melt, the one that had made her fall for him the in the first place.

"You're probably wondering why I asked you down here." She finally said looking away from him.

"So it's not just to make up then?" Ron tried to joke.

"I still don't understand what happened in the dungeons with Jake. I can't stop thinking about it and I need to understand".

Ron studied her for a minute, then frowned disappointedly. "You still think I did it don't you" he accused.

"I just don't see why Jake would lie abut it" she began, Ron took in a deep breath, already trying to calm himself, he tried turning away but Hermione continued "He had no reason to"

"And you think I would, is that it?" he asked angrily. How could she honestly believe that he would?

"I don't want to argue Ron, I just want to understand what happened" she explained.

"I don't know what happened down there Hermione. I told him what was in the chest and that if I were him, I wouldn't go near it. Then I left."

"Why did you leave him down there on his own?".

"He's a big boy Hermione, he didn't need me to baby-sit him."

"But why leave before I got there?" she asked frustrated.

"It doesn't matter" he replied dismissively.

"Ron please, I need to know" she pleaded, grabbing his hand as he went to turn away. Ron looked down at their joined hands and shifted slightly. "I really want to believe that you didn't do it, but don't you understand that when you don't explain things to me, it's hard to believe you" she paused and searched his eyes, "Please Ron" she begged.

"Because I couldn't handle seeing you two all over each other again" he shouted, Hermione recoiled back and Ron softened his tone, "I knew you were meeting him, and if I had stayed, we all would have walked up to the common room together acting like the best of friends, and I'm sorry, but I didn't like the guy when he was just your friend, I like him even less now that he's your boyfriend".

"But you were fine with it, what changed?" Hermione asked, grabbing his hands again.

""I wasn't fine with it. I had only just got you back when you started seeing him, I didn't want to lose you again".

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, "He said you threatened him, is that true?" she asked.

"Yeah, I told him that if he ever hurt you, I'd kill him. But I swear, that's all that happened".

Hermione dropped his hands and turned away from him, she was having trouble fighting away the tears. "I want to believe you Ron, but I know what you're like…."

"Then believe me, please, if you know what I'm like, you'll know that I would never do anything to harm our friendship" he broke her off.

"Ron, you've done plenty to harm our friendship, every big argument that we've ever had was instigated by you" she advanced on him, "I know you don't like Jake, just like you didn't like Viktor"

"And why was that Hermione. Maybe I was wrong about Krum, but there is something weird about Jake, even Ginny sees it".

Hermione shook her head and started to walk away from him but Ron grabbed her arm again and spun her around.

"I didn't do anything, I promise, and I will do anything to prove it".

"Like what?" she scoffed.

"I dunno…Veritaserum maybe?" he half joked.

Hermione shook her head muttering "Unbelievable" then yanked her arm away and stormed off towards the castle.

"Hermione wait" Ron called after her. She didn't stop so he ran after her, calling her every now and then.

They were in the castle now and Hermione was walking so far ahead of him, she had turned two corners before him.

Finally, he turned the second corner and saw her standing up against the wall, she turned her head and saw him as he was about to call her again and she marched towards him. "Ssshhh, Malfoy's round there".

The voices got louder and Hermione looked round in a panic, Malfoy and whoever he was with were coming round the corner, "Quick, in here" she said and she pulled open a door and pushed Ron inside, closing the door as quietly as she could and locking it from the inside.

"Hermione, what are you…."

"Quiet" she whispered, "I heard Malfoy discussing something, it sounded as though he was planning something".

They heard footsteps coming closer and voices getting louder, suddenly, the footsteps stopped. They were right outside the door. Hermione went up and put her ear to the door, Ron looked around the room for the first time. You couldn't even call it a room, it was more like a cupboard. there were boxes stacked up against the walls leaving only a space no bigger than the toilet cubicles.

Hermione held out her hand, motioning for him to join her. He slid in behind her, her bushy mane finding its way into his mouth and nose, he tried to bat it away unsuccessfully. Hermione could tell he was getting annoyed and it would eventually lead to them being found, so she turned to face him instead.

There was hardly enough room for one of them to be against the door, let alone the both of them, so it was a very tight squeeze. Ron had one hand against the wall behind her to keep him steady, he was practically leaning over her. She stood up straight and her hand fell to his waist, she had to keep ahold of him to keep herself from falling back, but as soon as she touched him, their eyes shot to each other.

There was a moment of awkwardness where they just stared at each other. '_God I want to kiss him'_ Hermione thought, mentally kicking herself for getting so distracted.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Draco Malfoy said from the other side of the door.

"Of course I do, you worry too much, just like my father, over analysed every little thing, never trusted anybody" came the other voice. Ron thought it sounded familiar but it was too raspy and muffled to identify, he looked at Hermione to see if she recognised it but she merely shrugged.

"And is it any wonder he didn't, the way it ended, all the people that betrayed him, it's best not to trust anyone if you ask me" Malfoy said.

"Then it's a good job I'm not asking you then isn't it!" the other person said coldly.

"Just get it done, and fast" Malfoy growled evilly, then he left the mysterious person behind.

What had that been about, it sounded threatening. The way they were speaking, it sounded as though they were talking about Voldermort, but then the other person had said 'my father'.

Hermione waited a few more minutes then put her hand on the door knob, but before she could turn it, Ron placed his hand over hers.

"Wait, he might not have gone yet" Ron whispered into her ear, his breath tickled her ear and it sent a shiver up her spine.

She looked up at him to let him know that she would wait, but when she looked up, she was shocked to see the look in his eyes. He was staring at her so intensely, it scared and thrilled her at the same time.

The smell of her was working its way up his nose and it was driving him crazy, she smelt like old books, strawberries and chocolate. It was what he had smelt in Potions last year when they were introduced to love potions. The smell was just so Hermione.

She could feel his breath against her lips, '_how did we get this close? Merlin, just a few more centimetres and I'd be kissing him'_ Hermione thought, it drove her insane, she wanted so badly to kiss him. Rons hand was no longer against the wall, it was now resting on her waist, pulling her closer. He hadn't meant to do it, he didn't even know how he did it, but they were pressed against each other.

"Hermione…" Ron struggled, '_What would happen if I kissed her, would she push me away, would she kiss me back'_, she raised her hand and placed it on his arm, her hand holding his elbow, '_She's really not helping me here'_ Ron thought.

Then her lips brushed lightly against his, he lost all his control then and pushed forward, pressing his lips against hers. He half expected her to pull away in disgust, but she didn't, Merlin, she was kissing him back. Her hands weaved themselves around his neck and pulled him closer, parting her lips to deepen the kiss.

Ron couldn't understand what was happening. For the last week, she had pulled away from him, she had hated him, and now she was standing there, encouraging him to carry on.

This is the way it's supposed to be, Hermione thought as she lost herself in the kiss, it had taken so much for them to get here and now that they finally were, she didn't ever want to stop, but there was one problem, Jake. She was such a bad person, how could she be doing this, Jake didn't deserve this, but, oh, it felt so good being with Ron.

They finally broke apart breathlessly, Ron rested his head against hers.

"I need answers too Mione" he breathed out without looking at her.

"I know", she nodded.

"So?" he pushed, "Why don't you believe me?"

"I just don't know why Jake would lie to me, and it's not as if you've never been violent. And the way you went on your little revenge spree, and he really embarrassed you" Hermione explained.

"But I was over that. I knew that if I did anything, I'd lose you. I never wanted that to happen, I can't let it happen, I need you in my life. Whatever way I can get you"

"But it's so confusing Ron. If you didn't do it, then who did?"

"I don't know" Ron said shaking his head.

They stood there for a few moments in silence before Ron decided to bring up another argument, he knew it was a risk, but while they were having this heart to heart, he may as well get it clear.

"Why was I holding you back?" he asked carefully.

"What?" she asked slightly confused.

"You said that I was holding you back before. Why?"

Hermione averted her eyes away from him, it was bad enough that she had just cheated on her boyfriend, now she was going to admit that she had wanted Ron for Merlin knows how long.

"I've been waiting for you to realise that I'm a girl since third year. I ignored every boy that showed any interest in me in the hope that you would eventually ask me out. I made it so obvious in 6th year, and after Lavender, I promised that I would give it to the end of the year and if you still hadn't done anything, I'd move on. You didn't do anything, so I moved on. I had to give myself a chance at happiness." She finished quietly

Ron stood there looking shocked, "So…you…wanted me to as..ask you out?" he asked dumbly.

"Yes" she replied.

"You fancied me?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes Ron, I fancy you".

Ron choked, "You mean, you still do?"

"I don't go around kissing just anybody you know" Hermione announced sounding offended.

Ron smiled and tried to pull her towards him again but this time, she backed away, "Ron, we can't. I'm with Jake".

Ron inched away from her, "But you kissed me" he stated matter of factly.

"I know, and I'm sorry. God, please don't tell him. I shouldn't have done it".

Ron looked at her angrily, "So, you kiss me, tell me that you fancy me, and then expect me not to tell him?"

"Ron please, he doesn't deserve this"

"But I do? Geez Hermione, is this some kind of payback? I'm a prat to you so you play on my feelings to get back at me" he yelled.

"Ron, be quiet, please" Hermione scolded. Ron shook his head and reached for the doorknob, "Forget it" he mumbled as he yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind him.

How could she do this to him, after everything they had been through. She didn't want to hurt Jake, yet she could so easily do it to him.

He was glad to find that Ginny was the only one in the common room when he stormed in there 5 minutes later. She looked up and slammed her book shut and put it on the table.

"It didn't go well then?" she asked with a grimace.

"She kissed me" Ron moaned as he fell onto the sofa next to his sister and threw his hands up into his hair.

Ginny stared at him, "She kissed you?" She asked for confirmation. "Wow. And that was a bad thing?" she asked as Ron took on a look much like the one he did when he asked Fleur to the Yule Ball in 4th year. "Why is it bad?" she asked slightly confused.

"Because she doesn't want Jake to know. Said she shouldn't have kissed me and that he didn't deserve this".

"Oohh, that is bad!" she winced.

"Yep" Ron agreed. They sat for a few minutes digesting what had happened.

"So, you ready for practice?" Ginny piped up finally.

"No, did I ever tell you that your boyfriend is a complete and utter git?" Ron whined.

"You didn't have to" she replied with a wink, and they made their way down to the pitch for the final practice before the first match of the season.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

It was perfect weather conditions for a Quidditch match, there was no wind or rain, it wasn't too hot or too cold, the sun was shining but not so much that Ron would be blinded by the light, and there was a light cool breeze blowing over the pitch.

Gryffindor had been practicing every night for the past two weeks, Harry had worked them really hard, and they were so prepared so they should have had the match won by now. Instead they were drawing level at 90 points a piece.

Ron had saved a couple of Quaffles but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Ginny had been responsible for 60 of their points, although they had been by sheer luck. She had spent the majority of the match worrying about what Jake was doing.

They hadn't been able to put their differences aside, although Jake did honestly seem to be the only one trying.

'_Ron should have saved those last 4 Quaffles easily, what is going on?'_ Ginny thought to herself. He had been on target to save them, but as he reached to catch the Quafflle, he moved slightly in the opposite direction.

'_Ron wouldn't jeopardise a match like this'_ Ginny said to herself as she headed toward the Ravenclaw who was currently in possession of the Quafflle. She spied Jake heading for the same target, '_But he would'_, she realised and she sped up.

Ginny reached the Quafflle seconds before Jake and instantly turned on her broom and raced towards the Ravenclaws' end. She looked back once to check that Jake was covering her, he was, albeit slightly disgruntled, but he also had the two Gryffindor beaters behind him.

Ravenclaws beaters were just ahead of Ginny and were preparing to strike a bludger at her. As she got closer, she saw Jake zoom past her and get himself in a position that would allow her to pass to him easily to score the goal. She realised that if she didn't get rid of the Quafflle soon, the beaters would strike her.

She threw the Quafflle to Jake, however he seemed to hold back for a moment before going for the Quafflle and Ravenclaws' beaters hit the bludger towards Ginny. It would have slammed into the side of her head had Gryffindors beaters not been there in time.

Jake dived for the Quafflle, catching it with ease and throwing into the nearest hoop. He scored and the crowd went wild.

Ron looked on from the other end of the pitch, he had seen Jake hold back before going for the Quaffle, he was trying to get Ginny hurt, he was trying to sabotage the match, Ron was sure of it. He should have saved half the Quaffles that went in, but just as he reached out for them, he had felt a tug on his broom pulling him away, Jake had been close by each time.

There was no time to dwell on that now though as Ravenclaw were on the attack again.

He could see Ginny speeding up the left side of the pitch and Jake was slightly ahead of her. The Gryffindor beaters were throwing bludgers Ravenclaws way, but they were dodging everything that came towards them.

It was now down to Ron, Ravenclaws chaser aimed for the centre hoop, Ron darted in the same direction but just as he was about to reach it, he felt that familiar tug again and watched in horror as the Quaffle went in.

He looked round to Jake, who again was close by. Ginny was heading straight for him, she looked irate.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? She screamed at Jake.

"Ginny, calm down. I didn't do anything" he warned.

"I SAW WHAT YOU DID, YOU'RE THE REASON HE HASN'T SAVED MUCH. YOU'RE CURSING HIM AREN'T YOU" Ginny demanded as she grabbed the end of his broom and spun Jake around to face her. Jake pulled away from her, almost knocking her off her broom from the force of it, Ron was there in an instant protecting his little sister.

Harry noticed the commotion down below at the same time he glimpsed the Snitch. The game wasn't over yet and they needed to win this match. Thinking that it was nothing more than Ginny and Jake's usual heated exchanges, he ignored it and went after the Snitch at the same time the Ravenclaw Seeker did.

They both sped forward, head to head. Harry reached out for it, his fingertips just brushing the wings. He was about to make one final leap towards it when it abruptly changed direction.

Harry turned in an instant; fortunately, the other seeker was not so prepared and was left behind to catch her bearings, giving Harry the lead he needed.

He zoomed towards the ground and noticed that the rest of the team were already off their brooms, having all joined in the argument. Harry would have to stand up on his broom to get the snitch, but he was so close to the ground, if he wasn't careful, he'd jam right into the hard floor.

He unsteadily stood up and held his arms out; preparing himself to jump once he caught the snit. He steered the broom to zoom just past the group and jumped for the Snitch, landing smoothly on his feet and joining his team mates.

The whistle blew to end the match but Gryffindor were too busy arguing to notice.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Harry demanded as soon as he got to Ginny, Jake and Ron, who were all red faced and slightly breathless from arguing.

"HE WAS DOING SOEMTHING TO RON, I SAW IT. "She yelled.

"THAT'S ENOUGH. ALL OF YOU, MY OFFICE-NOW" roared McGonagall as she stormed over to the group.

"Miss Weasley, would you kindly explain to me what you were so angry at?" Professor McGonagall asked once they had entered her office.

"Jake was sabotaging the match Professor" Ginny whined.

"And how was he doing that?"

Ginny thought for a moment, "I don't know, but every time Ravenclaw scored, he sat there staring at Ron, then the last one, I saw him mumbling something".

McGonagall looked at the youngest Weasley thoughtfully, "Miss Weasley, if that were true, as wands are forbidden on the pitch, that would mean the use of wandless magic. And with no disrespect meant to Mr Jenkins, it takes a wizard far more powerful than a 17 year old student".

"Harry can do it" Ron interrupted.

"Mr Weasley, Harry endured hours of training for that ability. Now, I do not want to hear any of this nonsense again" McGonagall stated.

"But Professor" Ginny cried.

"NOT another word Miss Weasley. Now back to your rooms before I give you all detention".

Ron was the first one to reach the door, and as he opened, he saw Hermione pacing up and down the corridor.

"What is going on?" She demanded.

"Ask your boyfriend" Ron replied bitterly, not bothering to wait for Harry or Ginny to catch up with him. Ginny and Harry followed but Ginny ran to catch up with her brother, only Harry stopped to explain to Hermione what he knew. He felt like he was betraying Ginny and Ron somehow, but he had just about enough of them raging an all out war against Jake, it made things difficult between him and Hermione.

Once Jake had emerged from the office, Harry smiled warmly at Hermione and told her he'd see her back in the common room.

As soon as Harry was gone, Jake wasted no time in telling Hermione his version of events.

Back in the common room, Harry wasted no time in letting Ron and Ginny know how disappointed in them he was, "I know you both have problems with him, but you can't keep accusing him of these insane things".

"Who said they were insane? Wake up Harry, he told the whole school I set a Boggart on him, I would never do that, and he took Hermione away from us"

"Look, I admit, something doesn't seem right, but you can't act like this because you're jealous. He makes Hermione happy. Isn't that enough?" he knew the answer of course, but technically, it should have been enough.

"Are you serious? How can I be happy that she's dating him?" Ron roared.

"Hermione's my best friend too, and she's finally happy. If I question it, I'll lose her just like you have" he directed at Ron who's ears instantly went pink.

"This isn't about my relationship with her Harry. I didn't trust him before he got his slimy hands on her".

At this point, Ginny snapped, "You know what. I've had enough of this, Harry, I'm supposed to be your girlfriend and Ron is meant to be your best friend, yet lately, you're treating us like we're the enemy. It's more than things just not adding up. And after everything you, of all people, has encountered, how can you trust him?".

"Still talking about me I see?" Jake said as he sauntered into the common room and over to the trio. Hermione put her hand on his arm as if to stop him, but it didn't have the desired effect.

"You tried to lose us the match" Ginny was instantly on him.

"Now, if I was trying to do that, I wouldn't have scored all those goals now would I" he replied smugly.

"You tried to get Ginny knocked out, you hesitated before going for the Quaffle" Ron shouted, he wasn't about to let Jake start on his sister again.

"I was weighing up my options" Jake shrugged.

"And what exactly were your options Jake, which Weasley to get out of her life first?" Ginny spat. Hermione looked up at Ginny and was about to speak when Jake beat her to it.

"I never did anything to their friendship, he did that all by himself. If he wanted her, he should've taken his chance when he had it". Ron and Hermione looked at each other awkwardly.

"Gin, let it go" Ron pleaded.

"And what makes you think he hasn't still got a chance?" Ginny asked coyly, she hadn't heard Ron's pleading.

"Ha, that's a laugh. He ruined his chances a long time ago, and their relationship will never be the same again. Much like yours and hers if you keep this up".

Ron stepped forward and grabbed Ginny's arm, forcing her to turn and face him, "Not this please!" he growled through gritted teeth, she looked down and nodded then rounded on Jake again,

"Why did you hesitate?" She continued to yell.

"Look, I didn't do anything to jeopardise the match" Jake huffed out, seemingly annoyed.

"Oh no, then how do you explain your inaccurate timing when the Bludger was headed straight for me, and how Ron should have saved most of what he didn't. What were you muttering when you were on your broom?" Ginny demanded, she was clenching her fists in anger, mirroring Ron's position.

"Well maybe if you weren't busy making up silly accusations, you wouldn't have had to pass me the Quaffle now would you. And if he paid as much attention to the task at hand as he does my girlfriend, he'd be a lot better at things than he actually is wouldn't he". Ron growled and headed for Jake. Ginny stopped him, reminding him that he couldn't get another detention. "And if you focused a little less on everyone else's relationships, yours wouldn't be falling apart" Jake continued tauntingly.

That was it. Ginny pulled her right arm back and launched her fist into Jakes nose, breaking it instantly.

"STOP IT, PLEASE" Hermione screamed.

Still holding his nose with one hand trying to stop the blood flow, Jake pulled his wand from his robes and raised it to Ginny. Hermione stepped back and gasped, she couldn't believe Jake would raise his wand just like that. But she couldn't do anything but stand there watching, it was as if she was frozen.

Ron grabbed Ginny by the arm and pulled her to him, knowing that if he attacked Jake, it would only make matters worse, the situation had already spiralled out of control. Harry finally stepped in, in front of Jake, raising his own wand,

"Put the wand down Jenkins" he warned through gritted teeth. He waited until Jake had put his wand away, then spun around to face Ginny, "Are you ok?" he asked gently, trying to search her eyes. She finally looked at him, her vision was blurred and tears flooded her eyes.

"Fuck You Harry" she spat out as she pushed away from him and Ron and headed towards the Portrait hole.

Harry looked at Ron pleadingly. It was no use. Ron looked just as angry as Ginny had, how could Harry hurt Ginny like that. Ron shook his head, muttering something under his breath and followed Ginny out of the common room.

Harry sighed defeated and turned to face Hermione, who looked just as he felt. She was standing next to Jake but she was making no effort to see if he was alright, and she seemed to only slightly register that he was calling for her.

Eventually, she looked down at him, then up at Seamus and Dean, who were standing nearby,

"Could you take him to the hospital wing please?" she asked distantly.

The two boys nodded and each took hold of an arm, pulling him up off the floor and guiding him to the door. Harry watched them go, Jake had kept his eyes fixed firmly on Hermione, he couldn't believe that she wasn't going with him.

When they were out the door and the other students started going about their own business, Harry slowly walked over to his best friend and took hold of her hand, "You wanna talk?" he asked gently. Hermione simply nodded and allowed Harry to lead her to her room. Once in there, Hermione slid down against the wall, holding her head in her hands.

"How did everything get so screwed up Harry?" she asked, finally looking up at him through tear filled eyes. Harry shrugged as he sat down opposite her on the floor.

"I don't know". They sat in silence for a few moments, both unable to believe what had just happened, then Harry remembered the loom that Hermione and Ron had exchanged during the argument and he had to ask.

"Hermione, did something happen between you and Ron?". Hermione looked away from him and put her head back down onto her knees.

Harry nodded, "is it still going on?" He wasn't mad. He knew how they felt about each other, they had each confided in him, but they had both told him not to say anything to the other, although he had been tempted to just scream it at them at times. Harry guessed it was a little too late for that now.

"No, it only happened the once. And I told him it was a mistake" she told him shakily.

"And was it?" Harry asked a little more sympathetically. Hermione didn't answer straight away, and that was all the answer he needed, still, he had to hear it from her, "Mione?" he pushed again.

"I never meant for it to happen. I'm with someone else and I should not have done it".

"So you made the first move then?" Harry asked in shock, as afraid as Ron was, Harry had always thought that it would be Ron that would finally just give in and kiss her.

"Yes. We were just standing so close together, I knew that he was thinking about it. And after he told me that he liked me. Oh, Harry, I just couldn't hold it in any longer" Hermione explained in a rush.

"Hermione Granger, you lost control of yourself!" Harry laughed.

"It's not funny Harry" Hermione tried, though working hard to hide her own smile.

"You don't regret it do you?" Harry asked finally, although already knowing the answer. Hermione looked up at him and shook her head.

"No, but I should. I just can't stop thinking about it. Argh, he makes me so mad and he can be so hurtful and such a prat. I don't want to want to be with him, but no matter what he does, I can't help but want him".

Harry smiled. He felt exactly the same for Ginny. She was so stubborn and fiery, and when she was angry or upset, she was the worst person to be around. When they were apart, it was so hard for him, he didn't want to pine after her and it helped that she had disconnected herself from him for a while, but it didn't stop him from loving her.

"Damn those Weasley's huh" Hermione cursed, recognising the look on Harry's face.

Harry exhaled a deep breath and chuckled, "Yep, damn those Weasley's".

"Hermione, don't yell at me or anything….. but, if you want Ron, why are you still with Jake?" Harry asked nervously after a few moments of silence. Hermione shifted about on her place on the floor. She didn't know what to say. Harry had known all about her feelings for their mutual best friend, and how long she had waited for Ron to say something, and when he finally did, she didn't do anything about it.

"He finally told you Hermione, and you kissed. Isn't that what you've wanted all along?" Harry asked.

"I can't just break up with Jake because Ron finally told me".

"Ok, so how about you break up with him because he's a bigger prat than Ron?" he asked, a little bolder than he felt, "Look, I know you like Jake, but… he held a wand to Ginny….."

"And Ron set a Boggart on him!" Hermione cut in angrily.

"You've only got his word for that. What he did just now was in front of a lot of people" Harry was trying to keep his voice down, but she was being too stubborn.

She looked up at him, fire burning in her eyes,

"What would Jake have to lie for?", it seemed as though she was always asking this.

"You know why he'd lie Hermione. He knew that you liked Ron"

Hermione rose from her spot on the floor and walked over to the door, placing her hand on the door knob,

"Ron hasn't been the greatest person you know. You saw what he did to Lavender and Snape, and how he reacted when he found out about Viktor and I. He has a really bad temper and it wouldn't be the first time he had a jealous outburst".

"You really have that little faith in Ron?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

Hermione turned the door knob and indicated for Harry to leave. As he got the message and walked over to the door, she took a deep breath before speaking again,

"I don't want to fall out with you too Harry. Please, just let me make my decision".

Harry looked in her eyes, he wanted to be able to see that she knew what she was doing, "Fine, it's your choice" he breathed out, then turned and left her to ponder over everything they had talked about.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"How's the hand? It was a pretty good punch, felt as good as when she hit Malfoy" Ron gloated.

He and Ginny were sitting in the room of requirement. Ginny had been rather distraught when they had left the common room, and Ron had suggested they go up there as they needed somewhere to hide..

"It's ok. I think I might have hurt him more than me" She chuckled, "Are you alright?" she asked, turning more serious. Ron smiled weakly.

"Yeah. Wish I had punched him though."

"Oh Merlin" Ginny groaned as she threw her hands to her head, "What am I going to do about Harry?" Ron stiffened; he had never wanted to get Ginny this involved. He knew how much she loved Harry and it must have been killing her to not know where she stood with him.

"Do you want me to talk to him? See how he feels" Ron offered.

"No, he made it pretty clear how he feels" She spat out bitterly.

"Gin, you did say 'Fuck You Harry'" Ron reminded her.

"I know, but he didn't even try to come after me".

"I didn't give him much of a chance though did I"? Why was he defending Harry? He had hurt Ron's little sister, he should want to kill him.

"You would've gone after Hermione, no matter who tried to stop you" Ginny countered. She had him there. "I think it's over Ron" she cried.

"Gin, no. I never meant this to happen. You can't give up on him" Ron panicked.

"He's already given up" She replied solemnly. "We've been having problems for a while now. He's changed so much. I mean, he's your best friend and he doesn't care what you're going through". Ron sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Are you sure you want to end it?" He watched as she nodded sadly, "OK, When ya gonna talk to him?"

Ginny shrugged, "Dunno, maybe I'll just ignore him until he gets the point, it's worked for other people"

"It's not really you though is it Gin".

"I know. I will tell him, I just can't be around him at the moment. I'm sorry".

Ron shook his head and went over and hugged his little sister. They then continued to sit there for a couple more hours, just talking about everything and nothing, the way they used to when they were kids, until they both felt a little better.

They finally decided that they were tired and headed up for the Gryffindor common room.

Ron knew that Hermione would be up waiting for them to return, so he wasn't surprised to find her snuggled up on the couch with her Ancient Runes text book. She stood up when she heard the portrait door creak open, and looked at the two Weasley's carefully before asking Ginny if she was ok. Ginny nodded in return and smiled for reassurance.

"Jake's ok now, Madam Pomfrey fixed his nose. Just in case you were wondering" she said quietly, she wasn't surprised to see that they really didn't care.

"I'm going up to bed" Ron announced.

"No, please don't. We need to talk" Hermione pleaded. Ron stiffened before turning to face her, Ginny walked over to him and whispered to him that she didn't mind staying, to which Ron declined and told her she should try to get some sleep.

Ginny nodded and gave him a quick hug and whispered "Good Luck" in his ear, then said goodnight to Hermione and retreated up to her own dorm room.

Hermione stood there not saying a word, just stood staring at her feet, biting her bottom lip. Ron was growing tired of the silence so, jamming his hands in his pockets, he looked at her and said "So, are you going to say anything?"

"You told Ginny about us!" She finally said.

"I wasn't aware that there was an us, but yeah, I told her what happened" Ron wasn't showing any emotion, at least, he was trying not to, he couldn't afford to keep doing it around her anymore.

"Why? I thought we agreed we wouldn't tell anyone"

"Well, I guess I can't hide how I'm feeling from my friends. And don't worry, she's not going to tell him" he retorted.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Really? Well you seem to be hiding it pretty well now." She retorted back. Ron sighed and slouched. Up until now, he had been rigid, ready to fight.

"Hermione, I'm tired. So if you've got a point, can you just get to it" he said, a little harsher than he had intended.

"Is Ginny really ok? She's been crying. I know how it must have felt for her to hear Jake say what he did" Ron shifted slightly and took a deep breath, "Harry really does love her, and he doesn't want to lose her" she continued almost desperately.

Ron let out the breath that he had been holding, "Do you love Jake, Hermione?" he spat out.

"You know the answer to that Ron" she mumbled.

"I do? You're supposed to be with him, but, after all these years of being my best friend, you kiss me and tell me that you've always liked me. And that kiss was a lot more than just a quick snog in the cupboard between friends. So forgive me for feeling confused Hermione"

Hermione didn't say anything; she didn't know what to say. Ron had never been so harsh towards her, and it scared her that he could be.

Finally, Ron sighed, defeated, and walked towards the stairwell. When he reached the stairs, he turned back to face her, "Look, if you want to believe him and stay with him, there's not a lot I can do about it. But if you want to stick up for him over us, don't expect us to stick around" And with that, he turned again and left her on her own in the common room.

He knew what he had just said was just the anger and frustrations of the day getting the better of him, but he couldn't keep going through this. She had obviously made her decision, and he had to let her go.

"Ginny?" Harry called softly as he opened the door to the charms classroom down the hall from the tower. He had woken up early and had immediately searched out the tiny dot on the marauders map that would tell him where Ginny was.

He saw she was sat on the desk, her legs crossed underneath her. She looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were red and puffy. It killed him that he was the cause of her pain.

"Please don't hex me" he made an attempt to joke. Ginny just continued to stare at him, "Ginny, I'm so so sorry. I should have stuck up for you last night"

"Shut up Harry" she cut him off, "This isn't just about last night. Ever since Jake arrived here, you've been acting weird. Taking his side over everyone else's. We've been biting at each other for weeks, and I can't do it anymore".

"No, Gin please. Don't do this" Harry begged.

"Did you say that we were falling apart?" She asked, she was surprisingly calm considering. Harry didn't answer her, not that he needed to, she had seen how he had reacted as soon as Jake had said it.

"I just said that we were having a few problems. He drew his own conclusions from it" Harry said quickly, almost as if it would make it better if he said quicker.

"Then why didn't you talk to me about it? Or even Ron?"

"Your Ron's sister, I couldn't talk to him about it. He was going through his own problems anyway. And I didn't want to fight with you" he answered honestly.

"So you let everything build up instead, Harry, that's just gonna make things worse" she cried.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I can't say it enough. And the Jake thing, there is something weird about him, but I can't keep an eye on him when we're fighting with him."

"It's not just the Jake thing Harry, I've already said that. It's you. You're different" she took a breath before she said the last part, "I don't know how I feel about you anymore. I think… I think that we need to take a break". She stood up and walked past him to the door, she turned the brass doorknob and was about to open it when Harry finally spoke again,

"So, you're not in love with me anymore. Is that what you're saying?" His voice laden with unshed tears.

Ginny looked at him one last time, "I don't know." She replied simply, then left the classroom. Harry didn't even bother to try stop her. Instead, he slumped down in the nearest chair and cried. Everything was in such a mess. His relationship with Ginny was over, he didn't know what Ron and Hermione were going to do, it felt like the whole world was falling down around them.

Finally, he left the classroom and began making his way towards the great hall, ready for breakfast. He had only walked past a few classrooms when he heard raised voices coming from one of them. He pressed his ear up against the door and instantly recognised the 2 voices as Hermione and Jake. He decided to stay and listen to what they were arguing about.

"You can't tell me who I can and can't talk to Jake" Hermione yelled.

"But Hermione, look at everything they've done. He's trying to steal you from me, and she broke my nose. They're no good." Hermione backed away in shock.

"How dare you say that about them. They are two of the bravest, kindest, loyal, most loving people I have ever met, and I will not let you talk about them like that. You have no right."

"If they were so great, they'd respect your wishes. They'd support you, no matter what" Jake tried to convince her.

"They've supported me for 7 years, I trust them with my life. They're my family and I won't cut them out of my life" She screamed at him.

Had he actually asked her to sever ties with Ron and Ginny, Harry thought, why would he do that, he knew how much they meant to her. It was as if he wanted her all to himself, and that was what Ron and Ginny had accused him of in the first place.

"He doesn't want you to be happy you know" Jake replied, he was referring to Ron.

"Don't be stupid, of course he wants me to be happy"

"But he wants to be the one to make you happy doesn't he. And deep down, you want the same thing don't you?".

Hermione shook her head in disbelief "I'm with you Jake"

"You're not answering the question Hermione" he moaned in frustration, "I'm right aren't I, it's why you're not prepared to let him go".

If he already knows it, then why is he trying so hard to stay with her, Harry thought. He prayed that Hermione would recognise this as an opening to end things. It was almost silent in the classroom for a few minutes, then Harry realised that someone was crying. It sounded too deep to be Hermione. Jake was crying to win the argument, and judging by the "Sshhh, it's ok" and "If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't" Hermione had relented.

She now stood holding Jake, tracing soothing circles on his back,

"I'm sorry" he sobbed, "It's just, when Voldermort and his followers came to my school, my girlfriend was there. She had been informed late on that she was a witch and was put into our school at the start of the year. Voldermort killed her right in front of me, all because she was muggle born. I lost her, and I can't bear to lose you too Mione" he breathed out, she stiffened at the sound of her nickname. She only felt comfortable with one person calling her that. "I love you" Jake finished. He searched her eyes. She didn't know what for, acceptance, recognition, any sign that she felt the same.

She suddenly felt like her head was going to explode, it felt too full, as if someone was in there with her. She was having trouble trying to sort through her own thoughts. She shook her head violently and looked away from him. this made no sense, Jake had clearly given her a chance to end things, there was no reason to hide from Ron anymore, he had told her he wanted her, and she couldn't imagine her life without him. So why was she finding it so hard to tell Jake that she didn't feel the same way.

Jake looked deep in her eyes, he knew she didn't feel the same, but he also knew that she was confused. Deep down, he didn't want to rush her, but he needed Hermione to love him, and that was never going to happen while Ron was around. Yet, he knew to do that, he'd need to continue to be the understanding boyfriend and give her all the time she needed. He placed two fingers under her chin and raised her head so they're eyes met,

"It's ok. You don't have to say it back, if you're not ready, that's fine. I understand how hard this is for you, but whatever you want to do, I'll support you. I promise" he assured her.

She nodded her thanks then stepped away from him, announcing that she had to grab a book from the library before classes began. She had to get away from him, and going to the library was the most believable excuse for her to leave.

Harry was thankful he had brought his invisibility cloak with him, otherwise, Hermione would have seen him as she opened the door. She would've knocked him over had he not backed up against the wall. She didn't look right. Her face was pale and she now wore dark circles underneath her eyes, she probably hadn't slept much worrying about what had happened the night before, but still, that wouldn't be enough to make her look as drained as she did.

Jake walked to the outside of the classroom and watched Hermione walk down the stairs, a sly smirk playing across his lips. Harry realised he looked strangely familiar, yet he couldn't place it. But he had the distinct feeling that it wasn't pleasant.

A/N- I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing so far. Especially those of you that have reviewed, I love hearing what you think.

We're halfway there now, and things are going to get so much better.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"That was the most boring lesson ever" Ron groaned as he walked out of the History of Magic classroom.

"Yeah" Harry agreed absently.

"You wanna practice tonight?" asked Ron.

"Yeah" replied Harry, absently still. Ron knew he wasn't listening, instead he was focusing on Hermione and Jake. He had been keeping a close eye on them ever since he had witnessed the argument between them, and he still felt uneasy about the de ja vu he had when he looked at Jake.

"Isn't it supposed to be me that's besotted with her?" Ron teased. Harry shook his head.

"What?" Ron laughed, "Mate, you've been out of it all day. What's going on?"

Harry glanced over to Jake again, he had to tell Ron his thoughts. If he was going to figure this out, he needed Ron. It hard been hard not asking Hermione about it, but with her and Ron now being at least civil to one another, he really didn't want spoil anything for the three of them.

"I need to tell you something, but you have to promise that you won't get mad or beat anyone up. Ok?"

They walked down to the tree by the lake and Harry proceeded to tell him about everything. Not just the big stuff like the Boggart, Quidditch, pulling his wand on Ginny, the way he was with Ron or the resemblance to someone that Harry still couldn't place, but also the things that he had noticed during the week.

Jake had often gone off on his own for hours at a time. Harry had checked the map and couldn't find him anywhere, which meant that he was either in the room of requirement or off the school grounds, which wasn't possible. It didn't make any sense, any of it.

"Ok, so what do we then? I mean, we can't tell Hermione, we could tell Ginny. Maybe she can help" Ron suggested.

"I haven't spoken to her since we broke up. I don't think the first thing she wants to hear from me is 'Hey, you were right. I think Jake's evil'"

"Harry, after 7 years, I thought you would've caught on that Weasleys always think they're right" Ron sniggered. Harry smiled.

"Maybe you could talk to her for me?" Harry said.

"No way" Ron replied shaking his head "You want her back, you have to talk to her"

"When did I say anything about getting her back?" Harry asked.

"You lie as well as I do. Look, there isn't much we can about Jake apart from watch him, I've tried telling Hermione, but you've seen how well that worked out" Ron said in all seriousness "And, I'll talk to Ginny about him as well. But you need to talk to her sometime".

Harry smiled gratefully, "Thanks mate. What are you up to now?"

"I'm meeting Hermione in the library. She's helping me with my homework" he rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Umm Hmm, a nice open public place huh" Harry teased. He hadn't allowed Ron to get away with kissing Hermione and not telling him about it.

"Very funny" Ron growled in mock annoyance before saying goodbye to his best friend, leaving him alone to think about how he was going to get Ginny back.

"Ron, you need to concentrate on this" Hermione scolded as he finished talking to a 6th year Hufflepuff who had been flirting like mad with him.

"I know. It's not my fault, they just keep coming up to me and flirting". ever since they had entered the library, girls had practically thrown themselves at him, much to Hermione's annoyance. The fact that she was there only seemed to encourage them.

"Well if you just told them who you were going to the dance with, they'd leave you alone" she said sarcastically.

"I'm not going to the dance with anyone" he replied dismissively. Hermione looked up in shock,

"Why not?" Ron shrugged,

"There just isn't anyone that I want to go with" he replied awkwardly.

"There must be someone". Ron shook his head.

"No-one that's available. I left it too late again" Hermione blushed and smiled, knowing that he meant her.

"What about Ginny? She's not going with anyone yet is she?"

"Apart from the fact that she's my sister, I'm hoping to get her and Harry back together before that". Hermione smiled approvingly.

"Really? And do they know this?"

"No, but I need you to help with it". Hermione looked shocked. How could she help with a relationship, looking at her own messed up situation.

"I was thinking that maybe you could talk to Harry, convince him to talk to her" he explained.

"Why do I get Harry, why can't I have Ginny?"

"Because you and Harry have all these deep meaningful conversations"

"And? So do Ginny and I."

"Yeah well, not like I do" Ron replied, trying his best to knuckle back down to his homework in an attempt to not admit why he should talk to Ginny.

"Ron! Why not?" Hermione whined.

"Because that's what me and Ginny do. We talk to each other. Help each other out" he huffed irritably. He looked up at her, she looked confused, she wasn't making it easy for him. He looked away from her and sighed, "She's the one I go to when I want to talk about you" he told her, feeling rather embarrassed. When she didn't say anything back, he looked at her again and found she was blushing too.

"That works out well then. Harry's the one I talk to about you" she replied shyly.

They looked at one another shyly. His eyes drifted down to her lips. She bit her bottom lip, looked up into his eyes and completely forgot they were in a library full of students. She leant forward, wanting so badly to kiss him.

As she leant forward, Ron leant back. As much as he wanted to do this, he didn't want it to happen when she was still with Jake, and especially not in front of a bunch of gossiping girls.

"Homework" he said clearing his throat. Hermione shook her head and looked away, flustered.

"Right, yes, homework, good point. Must get it done", and she grabbed her quill and began frantically scribbling away on the parchment in front of her. Ron smiled, it was good to know that he hadn't lost his chance after all.

Ginny had been out practicing for about an hour on her own before the wind picked up and made it difficult for her to control her broom. It wouldn't have bothered her any other time, but she was never normally alone, so she decided to dismount her broom and head back in.

As she walked up the hill to the school, she noticed Jake standing very close to Hannah Abbott, the 7th year Hufflepuff prefect. He had one hand resting on her waist and the other was stroking her cheek. Ginny made a point of walking past him, "Evening Jake". she said cheerfully as she passed him. He instantly jumped away from Hannah and went after Ginny, calling her as he ran.

She continued to walk towards the castle, choosing to ignore him completely.

"Ginny, it wasn't what it looked like. Please don't tell Hermione" he begged. Ginny still wouldn't acknowledge him.

"Ginny, you can't tell her. It was nothing." Ginny turned to face him.

"If it wasn't what it looked like, you won't mind me dropping it into conversation will you?" she told him before smiling victoriously and turning away again.

He grabbed her arm and she pulled away from him. "Don't touch me" she warned as she quickened her pace.

"Don't you dare tell her" he growled as he grabbed her arm again. "Get off me" she cried, this only encouraged Jake more and he grabbed for her again and shoved her against the wall. Her breath caught in fear as she had a flashback to a time she had tried so hard to forget.

"She doesn't need to know about this. Do you understand?" Jake growled through gritted teeth.

Ginny nodded, she was so scared, she just wanted to get away from him.

"Good. I'm glad we understand each other" he sneered as he patted her cheek. He then walked away as if nothing had happened. Hannah had disappeared as soon as she saw Ginny, so no-one had witnessed how Jake had handled her.

She slid down the wall, shaking, and let her sobs out. It wasn't what Jake had done that had so scared, it was why she had had that flashback. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible. Maybe it was just that Jake had threatened her. Yes, that had to be it.

She considered telling Ron about it, but soon dismissed the idea when she realised that if she did tell him, he'd kill Jake, and she didn't want him getting in trouble with Hermione again. No, she'd keep this to herself for the time being, see if she could figure it out on her own.

"Hey, you ok? We've been calling you all the way down the hall" Ron informed his sister as he and Hermione chased after her.

"Gin, what's wrong?" Hermione asked in horror as she saw the state of her female best friend.

"Nothing, nothing, just a little tired" she lied.

"You look a little more than just tired Gin" Ron commented worriedly "You look like you've seen a ghost" Ginny flinched at this, she had, or at least close to it.

"I'm fine. I just want to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Goodnight." she forced a smile before walking on ahead.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, concern etched on their faces.

"She's lying" Hermione stated.

"Yep" agreed Ron, "What do you thinks wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe something happened with Harry." she shrugged.

"No, he's too scared to talk to her at the moment. It's got to be something else".

Hermione thought for a moment, an idea popping into her mind, but she dismissed it before it even turned into a thought. Ron eyed her suspiciously, "What?" he asked her. She shook her head, but the idea popped back into her head. She knew it was nothing to do with Harry, as much as she wanted to talk to him, she wouldn't. Ginny had gone out to practice on her own. Hermione and Jake were supposed to be doing their rounds, but she had told him she couldn't make it as she was helping Ron with his astronomy homework and Hannah Abbott was going to take her place. After the wand incident, Hermione had been wary of Jake's temper when it came to Ginny, and for a fleeting moment, she had thought that maybe Jake had done something to Ginny. But she didn't want to believe that Jake would do that, but it didn't stop the uneasiness she felt settle in her stomach.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ron asked her more softly, he could sense that she wasn't happy, but all he could do was be there if she needed him.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking. You know me" She smiled unconvincingly.

"Are you ready for the dance? Got your dress robes sorted and everything?" she asked a little more cheerfully. Ron smiled goofily at her.

"Yeah, nice ones this time. I won't show you up, promise!" he joked.

Hermione laughed in return. He had asked her about her dress on several occasions, but she was just stubborn as he sometimes, and this was no exception, he would have to wait until the ball.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat around the table nearest to the fireplace. Harry was at his weekly meetings with Dumbledore so Ginny had been persuaded to join her brother downstairs. She sat there with him playing a game of chess. She knew she would lose, but at least it gave her something else to think about other than Harry.

Hermione sat next to Ron, her feet curled up underneath her. She was leaning into him slightly, shoulders touching. They both looked so relaxed.

Ginny had been watching them these last couple of days. She had noticed that whenever they were with each other, they'd somehow find a way to touch each other, whether it be a playful shove or a reassuring hand on the other's shoulder or even reaching that extra little bit so that when one of them passed something to the other, they're finger tips would touch. They would also exchange knowing glances more often, as if they were speaking in a language that only they could understand.

They were so incredibly sweet sometimes, it was actually quite sickening. She could see why Jake got angry with Hermione spending so much time with Ron, not that she cared much about what Jake thought. He was the one remaining factor stopping her brother and her best friend getting together.

She had also seen the two having deep quiet conversations in the corner of the common room, though she had the distinct feeling that that was more to do with her and Harry.

Ron had talked to Ginny a lot lately about getting back together with Harry, but she had always managed to turn the subject round onto him and Hermione. She could see that he hadn't given up. How could he, not when they were being the way they were.

She knew Hermione was doing the same with Harry, as every time she and Ron would talk, Harry and Hermione would go into the other corner and talk. Both Ron and Hermione came away looking dejected every time.

"Ginny, are you still playing?" Ron asked, breaking her away from her thoughts.

She looked up to see them both smiling at her wickedly.

"Thinking about a certain someone are you?" her brother teased.

"I'm thinking about 2 people actually. About how much they like each other but won't do anything about it. Know anyone like that?" She replied coyly.

Ron and Hermione glared at her, both blushing crimson. Ginny smiled a satisfied smirk. That would teach them.

"Harry should be finished soon, I'm sposed to meet him so we can practice" Ron said as he stood up, "I'll see you later". As he got closer to the portrait door, it creaked open and Jake walked in. The two boys glared at each other as they passed.

Jake walked straight over to Hermione and Ginny, sitting down next to his girlfriend and ignoring Ginny completely.

"Hey Sweetie, What you been doing?" he asked sweetly.

"I was watching Ron and Ginny play chess." She told him without looking at him.

"Oh. How interesting" he said, giving Ginny an icy glare, "I've got a study session in a bit, do you want to spend some time alone with me until then?"

Hermione looked at Ginny who shrugged as if to say that she didn't mind, but Hermione hadn't really spent much time with Ginny since her break-up with Harry and she had promised that they would do something.

"Erm, I've already promised Gin that we'd do something this evening." She told him quietly.

"But we haven't done anything all week. I feel like I've hardly seen you" Jake protested.

"I'm sorry, but I've already made plans….and I'm not going to break them" Hermione argued back.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute then please?" he asked, more than a little annoyed.

Hermione got up and allowed Jake to pull her to one side.

"I'm not going to leave her alone Jake, she's still upset about Harry and she needs someone to talk to"

"But why does it have to be you? Hasn't she got any other friends?"

"Of course she does!" she replied angrily, "But I've already told you, I'm not abandoning my friends because you don't like them."

"I'm not asking you to do that, Hermione, I'm just asking that you spend a little time with me. I don't want the only night I get to see you this week to be the ball"

"It won't be" she huffed "Look, you have a study session anyway, why don't you see if you can get started a bit earlier, then we can see each other when you finish" she suggested. It wasn't the best idea, but she did have to spend some time with him.

"Fine" Jake relented, "I'll see you when I get back. Have fun, and I love you"

Hermione had already turned to join Ginny as he was saying goodbye and she waved her hand at him and said quickly "Yeah yeah, love you too". She realised what she had said a little too late and before she knew what was happening, Jake had swiftly picked her up and spun her around, laughing joyfully.

"Ahh, you said it, you said it" he laughed as he placed her back on the ground, cupping her face and kissing her roughly. When he pulled away, she looked up to his face. He did look truly happy.

"Do you mean it, I mean, really mean it?" he asked. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't just tell him that she didn't mean it. Instead she smiled and nodded, hoping that it would be enough. He appeared to believe her because he kissed her again and said goodbye, this time happy to leave.

"Why did you say that?" Ginny asked as soon as Hermione reclaimed her seat opposite her auburn haired friend.

"What?"

"You told him you loved him too"

"Oh, er…….. I don't know" Hermione whined. "I was just eager to get back to you and it just slipped out, I guess"

The two girls sat in silence for a few moments, both contemplating what had just happened. Finally, Ginny let out a breath and said;

"Hermione, if you do love him… fine. He is your boyfriend after all and that is what couples say to each other"

"Then why did you ask me why I said it?"

"Because I don't think you do love him!" Ginny stated simply.

Hermione looked down at her hands, she always played with her fingers when she was anxious.

"Do you love him?" Ginny asked sincerely.

"I don't know. I really like him, I mean, I wouldn't be with him if I didn't like him, but I don't know if I love him" Hermione shrugged.

Ginny nodded for her to continue.

"He really isn't that bad of a person. I know that you all have your differences, but, well, he loves me, he treats me well"

"But do you love him?" Ginny asked, frustrated.

"You can't love two people at once, right?" Hermione finally said. It was the best answer she felt she could give.

Ginny smiled sympathetically.

"Then if you don't mind me asking…. Why aren't you with the one you love?"

"It's complicated Gin" Hermione said.

"He loves you, you love him. what's so complicated about that?" she asked, confused.

"There are many reasons. Apart from the fact that he didn't tell me until I was already practically with Jake, we argue all the time, neither of us want to ruin the friendship, and we'd only be together until we graduate. I can't be with him only to break up at the end of the year"

"So you stay with someone you don't love so that you're heart can't break!" Ginny said in realisation. "But why not just be single?"

"Because then I wouldn't be able to stay away from Ron" Hermione admitted. "Oh god, that sounds awful doesn't it!"

"If it was any one but Jake that you were talking about, I'd agree." Ginny said with a smile

"Ok, enough about my screwed up love life, lets talk about yours"

"I know what you're doing, and you can just stop right now" Ginny warned.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione replied innocently.

"Mmm Hmm, you're more of a Weasley than you think. As sneaky as the rest of us. But I'm telling you, it's not going to work. Harry hurt me, a lot, and I'm not ready to forgive him"

"But you still love him" Hermione said, still blushing from Ginny's 'Weasley' comment.

"Of course I do, I always will, but it's too hard right now. Besides, he hasn't tried talking to me, so he can't want me back that much can he" She replied sadly.

"Of course he wants you back Ginny, but be fair, you don't stay around him long enough for him to say anything".

Ginny nodded. It was true, whenever Harry did come into the same room as her, she would quickly make up an excuse to get out of there, but what was she supposed to do, stay there and act as though everything was fine. Ron and Hermione might be able to ignore the tension between them, but Ginny wasn't that strong. Harry hurt her, and it killed her to see him without being with him.

"I tell you what, you dump Jake and be with Ron, and I'll get back with Harry". She didn't want to talk about this anymore and she knew Hermione would drop the subject when faced with a choice like that.

"Fine. We won't talk about it anymore" Hermione huffed.

"You know me too well" Ginny laughed.

Harry and Ron had been playing Quidditch for a little over an hour when it started to rain. They had ignored it at first, but as it was late October, with the heavy rain also came the icy cold winds. As Harry flew through the air, getting ready to aim at the hoops, the icy wind lashed painfully against his skin, and it wasn't much better for Ron. From his place by the hoops, he found it increasingly difficult to focus on where Harry was.

"This weather is getting insane. You about ready to call it quits?" Ron shouted over the howling wind after Harry had scored yet another point.

"Yeah, it stopped being fun a while ago. Let's go to the kitchens, we haven't seen Dobby in a while." Harry suggested.

Once back safely on the ground, they ran into the castle and down the many staircases leading to the kitchens. They were quickly ushered over to the table and chairs nearest to the fire and promised hot cocoa and muffins. Dobby was not there when they arrived, but Harry knew he wouldn't be too long. He never had to wait long where Dobby was concerned.

Sure enough, just as they were finishing their first strawberry and white chocolate muffin, there was a CRACK! In the distance and Dobby appeared.

"Harry Potter, Sir. Dobby was hearing that you had come to visit with his Wheezy friend." Dobby said, his big round eyes growing wide with excitement.

"Hello Dobby. Sorry we haven't been here for a while. We've been busy. How are you?" Harry asked politely.

"Dobby is well Sir. Dobby has been busy also. Dobby has been doing as Harry Potter asked"

"And do you have anything?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's confused look.

"Dobby does, Sir. Dobby has seen… him…" the house elf paused to look around, checking that no-one could overhear him, House Elves could be very gossipy sometimes, "…. Talking to Dobbys' old master."

Harry glanced at Ron, who still looked as confused as ever.

"Lucius?" he asked, wondering how Lucius Malfoy could get into the school, let alone talk to Students.

"No, Sir. The young master. Draco Malfoy"

"And what are they talking about Dobby?"

"I'm afraid Dobby could not hear them. They speak very quietly. He gets angry too. Young Master looks scared sometimes" Dobby still felt uncomfortable talking ill of the Malfoy's. It was against a House Elves nature to speak badly of their owners, no matter how badly they were treated.

"Ok, Thank You Dobby. Could you carry on watching after him?"

"Of course. Dobby is honoured to help Harry Potter."

Harry thanked the elf again and hurried Ron up, insisting that they had to get back to the common room.

As soon as they left the kitchens, Ron decided to speak. "What the bloody hell was that about?"

"Ron, Sshh. I've been getting Dobby to keep an eye on Jake for me"

"Jake's been talking to Malfoy. Harry, that's it. He has to be evil"

"We still don't know that for sure. They could be talking about anything. Or at least that's what Jake will say to Hermione. We need to figure this out before we tell her anything"

They walked along in silence, both thinking what this new information could mean. They were useless without Hermione. If she was with them, and if this didn't inadvertently concern her, they would have already figured it all out by now. They were also trying to figure out whether they should tell Hermione or not.

They had just reached the portrait door when Ron finally came to a decision.

"Harry, it's the Halloween Ball tomorrow, and I have to dance with Hermione. I don't want her to be angry at me, and I want her to enjoy the night as much as possible. So… I ….. don't think we should tell her" Ron said quickly. He couldn't see what harm it would do, if she didn't know for one more day at least. And they didn't know what to say to her anyway, so there really was no point in getting her angry just for the sake of it.

Harry knew how much tomorrows dance meant to his best friend, and he found he didn't have the heart to disagree. "Yeah, sure. We can leave it another day or so. Besides, it'll give us more time to think about it".

Ron nodded his thanks and they told the fat lady the password and entered the Gryffindor Common Room. Ginny and Hermione were still sat in the same place they were earlier, Ron went to join them but noticed that Harry had tensed up at the sight of Ginny.

"I'll just go tell them we're tired and we're gonna grab a shower and go to bed. You can go on up if you want, I won't be long." Ron said, trying to spare Harry the awkwardness of sitting with his best friends with Ginny being there as well.

Harry looked up at his red haired friend and mumbled a thanks, and, waving to Hermione, Ginny hadn't bothered to turn around at the sound of the door creaking open, he left and walked sombrely up the stairs towards the boy's quarters.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked when Ron reached them, she sounded slightly worried.

"Oh yeah, everything's fine. He's just tired, we both are. The weather wasn't good tonight. We're just gonna clean up and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow" Ron explained.

The excuse seemed to work as Hermione smiled sympathetically and agreed that it was getting late and she should probably get some sleep too.

As Ron and Harry stood in front of the mirror checking out their dress robes, they couldn't help but dread the evening.

"How can I watch her dance with another man again, especially after what's happened?" Ron whined "And to him as well, I can understand Krum, but Jake. Why?"

"Yeah, but at least you look better than the last ball, smell better too" Harry joked, lifting up Ron's left arm and leaning in to smell it. Ron moaned and pushed Harry away.

"You'll be fine. Hey, maybe you could kiss her in front of him. I doubt she'd push you away" Harry suggested, he was only half joking.

"And then he'd kill me there and then" retorted Ron.

"True, but at least we wouldn't have to convince Hermione he's evil" Harry joked. Considering what he was about to face, he was in a surprisingly annoying mood.

"You know what Harry, I preferred it when you brooded over everything and didn't have a sense of humour" Ron joked back, laughing at Harry's mock offended look.

"Come on, let's get this over with, but do me a favour, keep Ginny company while I'm with Hermione". Harry nodded, all the jest suddenly leaving him. He had been planning on trying to talk to Ginny tonight anyway.

"Yeah sure mate."

------------------------------------------------

"Ginny, this is all going wrong" Hermione groaned as that stubborn strand of hair fell over her eyes again.

"Hermione, you look amazing, stop worrying" Ginny tried to convince her.

"I hope Ron thinks so" She thought out loud.

"Of course he'll like it. Jake will too" Ginny couldn't help but tease her friend at her mishap.

Hermione squinted her eyes at Ginny in a mock scowl, "Ha bloody ha"

"Ron's rubbing off on you in more ways than one I see!" she continued to tease.

"GINNY" Hermione groaned again. She then walked over to the dresser and sat down on the chair in front of it. "Things are going to get so much worse Gin" she said as she picked up a letter and handed it to Ginny.

Ginny took the letter, read it, gasped and then read it over again to make sure she had read right. "Hermione, Viktor's coming here" she shrieked.

"Yes, he said he has something to tell me. How am I going to tell Ron and Jake that my ex boyfriend is coming here?"

"But Hermione, he's coming here tonight, and you haven't told them!" She stated incredulously.

"He's not arriving until after the ball, so I'll tell them before he gets here, but please don't tell Ron or Harry" Hermione pleaded.

Ginny stared at her for a few moments before she finally nodded and promised that she wouldn't. This was going to be a long night.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Ron was even more terrified than when he had been getting ready. He was standing with Ginny and Harry and wasn't getting much out of either of them. Ginny looked stunning. She wore a full length white satin dress with a red sash which covered her shoulders, matching her fiery red hair perfectly. Every time Ron spoke to Harry, he would only get a response of "Uh-huh", he was too busy staring at Ginny, who in turn was trying her hardest not to notice.

Luna Lovegood had decided to go to the dance with Neville instead. Apparently, she had been waiting for him to ask her for a while, and when he finally did, she couldn't say no. So Harry had been left to go to the dance alone. Not that he minded it much. Not going with Luna meant he didn't have to answer a load of awkward questions which she was so in the habit of doing.

The next thing Ron knew, he was standing next to a very smug looking Jake.

"She looks lovely doesn't she" he stated as Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs.

Ron was left speechless. She was wearing a long flowing gown, much like the one she had worn in 4th year, except now, they were lilac with sheer pastel blue talons that covered the bottom half of the dress. Her hair was hanging loosely from a butterfly clip.

Jake sneered at Ron, "Don't get used to it. You may get the first dance, but I get the most important first tonight. If you know what I mean!" he said smarmily.

Ron immediately snapped out f his trance and glared at Jake, fire burning in his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As Ron stormed through the castle, making his way to the Gryffindor common room, he furiously tried to sort through all the thoughts that were roaming around in his head. He couldn't understand what Hermione was doing. Was she just playing everyone? No, Hermione wasn't like that, she wouldn't do that. But then why was Viktor here? Like it wasn't bad enough that she was still with Jake, even after telling Ron that she had always liked him and kissing him. Did she even know who she wanted? He found it very hard to believe that she wanted him. If she did, she'd be with him.

Ron was still fuming when he barged into the common room and plonked himself down on the overstuffed armchair. He pulled out the chess board that was kept underneath the chair and slammed it down on the table in front of him. He heard a tiny whimper coming from the corner. Half expecting it to belong to Hermione, he sighed loudly and took a moment before he looked up.

When he looked up, he was surprised to find a younger girl watching him. He recognised her immediately as a 6th year who sometimes studied with Ginny. She looked alarmed, and somewhat confused as to why he was slamming around the room, grumbling to himself. Ron felt guilty for scaring her, so with a deep breath, he softened his expression and apologised to the girl.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't think anyone else was in here. Everyone was supposed to be at the dance".

The girl smiled shyly at him and said that it was ok, and that she didn't mind him throwing his weight around. She'd probably do the same if she had to spend a whole evening dressed up in clothes that she didn't feel comfortable in, dancing to songs she would never normally listen to, and appearing to be having a really good time when really, all you wanted to do in the first place is hang out with your friends and do stuff that you were actually interested in.

Ron laughed when she had finished, he completely agreed with her. He got up from his seat and walked over to her,

"Is it ok if I sit?" he asked, motioning to the space next to her on the couch. She nodded and uncurled her legs, sticking them out in front of her so that she was now sitting up straight.

"I'm Sarah" she said, offering her hand to Ron.

"Ron" he said, shaking her hand. He looked at her properly and realised she was actually really pretty. She had long dark brown wavy hair and bright green eyes, they reminded Ron of Emeralds.

"So how come you didn't go to the dance?" He asked her. He couldn't imagine the reason being that no one had asked her. If he had noticed her before, he would've asked her.

"I just wasn't really interested in going. I was asked, but I had a lot of homework to catch up on. I've got 3 essays due tomorrow and I only started them tonight. Ginny convinced me to play Quidditch when we were supposed to be studying".

"You play Quidditch?" Ron asked, pleasantly surprised.

"I try to; I'm not very good though, although it is debatable that I'm better than half of the Cannons!" Sarah joked.

"Ok, only another Cannons fan can take the piss out of them like that" Ron informed her, preparing himself to defend his beloved Quidditch team.

"God knows why, but yeah. Although I am hopeful that next season we'll at least end up in the top half of the table instead of fighting against bottom place for the 7th year running".

Ron was impressed. This girl was like a female version of himself. How was it that he had never spoken to her before?

"So, what got you in such a mood tonight? Or was the dance just that bad?"

Ron grinned sadly. "It's complicated."

Sarah nodded in understanding. She had a feeling what had gotten him in such a mood. She knew who he was, and she knew who Hermione was as well. Everyone knew that they both had crushes on each other but neither had bothered to say anything until Hermione had started going out with Jake, to which Ron had just blurted it out.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry"

"No, no, it's ok" Ron interrupted her "You probably know who the problem is anyway, everyone else does". Sarah nodded confirmation and Ron continued to tell her about the night. He didn't know why he was just offering up information on his love life, but he somehow felt as though he could trust Sarah.

They were still deep in conversation when the party finished and students started filling up the common room, buzzing with excitement about the arrival of a certain Quidditch Player. Harry and Ginny entered in the midst of the crowd and immediately sought out Ron. They were surprised to find him sitting quite cosily in a corner with another girl.

"Hey, how ya doing?" Ginny asked carefully.

"Yeah I'm fine. Did you have a good time?" Both Harry and Ginny nodded, smiling at each other.

"Good, glad you're back together. I'm gonna go on up to bed, before she gets back. Night guys, Night Sarah".

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, slightly amused, "Night Ron" they all said in unison.

Much to his surprise, Ron had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, he hadn't even woken up when everyone came up to bed. In fact, he had been having a rather weird dream which found him back in the dungeons, just before the giant chess board from 1st year.

He was back on the Knight, the same position he had played from. Every piece on the other side was someone. There was Crabbe and Goyle as the Pawns along with a few other Slytherin's. Malfoy was the main Pawn that stood in front of the King. The death eater, Antonin Dolohov was the Bishop, he had almost killed Hermione at the Department of Mysteries. Viktor Krum was the Knight and Jake was the King, which left only the Queen, this of course, was Hermione. However, she wasn't standing free, she was bound in chains, being held in place by Krum and Jake.

Ron had to get to her, he had to take all the pieces and rescue the Queen, his Queen. And he did, he defeated them all, finally breaking through the chains that held her down. However, as soon as he did, she began to run away. He couldn't understand it. She had wanted him to save her, but as soon as he did, she ran away from him. He ran after her, and continued to run until there was nowhere left to run. Suddenly, he found himself in a darkened room, being shaken by the shoulders, someone whispering his name as they did so.

Ron finally opened his eyes and found Hermione standing over him. He rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure he was awake.

"What do _you_ want?" he asked bitterly.

"Can I come in?" She asked, gesturing to his bed. She wasn't doing a very good job at hiding the hurt she felt at his tone of voice, but Ron found he really didn't care at the moment.

"No" he stated bluntly.

"Ron, we need to talk" she told him. Ron shook his head and pointed over to Jakes' bed.

"Your boyfriend is right there, and Merlin knows where the other one is".

Hermione looked down. She had expected something like this, Ginny had told her that Ron had left because he found out Viktor was coming.

"Ron, it isn't like that. Viktor and I are friends, that's all. Please, we need to talk about this. You need to know where you stand and how I feel about you" she whispered before Ron cut her off.

"Hermione, you've made it pretty clear where I stand and how you feel about me. I'm done with it, so go fuck with someone else's head for a change and let me get on with my life" he said harshly before turning away from her and pulling the curtains around his bed. She stood there for a few seconds more before he heard her sigh dejectedly and left the room.

"Ron, are you ok?" he heard Harry ask sleepily.

"I'm fine Harry, go back to sleep".

Next morning, Hermione sat at the breakfast table in the great hall next to Ginny. She had yet to speak to Viktor properly and Jake hadn't come down to breakfast, he was still a little annoyed that Viktor had turned up. Hermione kept glancing up at the door, hoping that she would get a chance to speak to Ron.

He eventually came in with Harry, they were both laughing and Hermione realised that she hadn't seen him look so relaxed in a long time.

As they made their way along the table, Ron spotted Sarah sitting with a couple of the other 6th year girls. He grabbed Harry's arm and quietly told him that he'd see him in class. Harry looked up, seeing the reason and grinned. He patted him on the shoulder and carried on walking down the row of tables to where Hermione and Ginny sat.

"Morning beautiful" Harry greeted as he sat down next to Ginny, kissing her on the cheek.

"Morning handsome" she replied teasingly.

"You ok Hermione?" Harry asked, noticing that his female best friend was unusually quiet.

She didn't answer, instead, she had her eyes firmly fixed on the red head at the other end of the table. He was talking to that girl that Ginny sometimes studied with. They were laughing, and he didn't seem nervous around her at all, on the contrary. He appeared to be totally relaxed.

Sarah, she remembered Ginny mentioning it on occasions, was listening intently to everything Ron was saying, in fact, she seemed to be completely enthralled by him.

She said something to Ron and he smiled his famous lop-sided grin. This affected Hermione more than she was willing to let on. She knew that smile, she had been the victim of that smile for a long time, it was one of the things that had made her fall for him in the first place. And now that that smile was directed at someone else, she knew she had blown it this time.

"It's not my fault that Viktor's' here" She protested when Ginny exclaimed that she couldn't blame Ron for acting the way he did.

"No, but it is your fault that you're still with Jake. You can't blame him for flirting with Sarah".

Hermione stood watching for a few minutes.

Ron could feel her watching him and he spared a glance in her direction. He could see the jealousy play across her face and he couldn't help but feel a quick twist of pleasure from it. He looked again at Sarah. She really was pretty, and from the first few conversations they had had, she was pretty cool to hang out with. He realised he wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better, and he did feel so comfortable around her. He decided to just bite the bullet and ask her out.

"So I was wondering that if you haven't got anything better to do Wednesday night, that maybe we could take a walk around the castle" he swallowed painfully as he watched her facial expression change. Ok, so he was still somewhat nervous when it came to asking out girls, and there was still a chance that she'd say no. what if she was only talking to him out of politeness last night.

"I'd love to" she finally answered. Ron grinned back.

"Ok, great. Well, I've gotta get to class now, but I'll see you later?".

She nodded and smiled up at him, saying that she would . He got up just as Harry, Hermione, Dean and Seamus reached his end of the table and he left the hall with them. They made their way to the classroom, all the while, trying to stay as far away from Hermione as possible.

That didn't last long though, in fact, it lasted only until 3rd period, Transfiguration.

When Ron entered the classroom, Harry's' bag was already on their desk but he was standing, talking to Hermione. When McGonagall entered the room and declared everyone to get to their seats, Harry and Hermione both walked over to the desk Ron was sat at. However, Harry didn't sit down, instead, he picked up his schoolbag and quickly walked back to Hermione's usual seat and she sat down next to Ron who looked at her quizzically. Hermione looked back at him.

"What?" She asked. Ron shook his head and finished getting his books out.

"Nothing" he replied as he turned his attention to the front of the classroom where the professor was laying out the lesson plan.

"Why are you sitting here?" he asked when McGonagall had finished explaining what they had to do.

"We need to talk" she replied.

"And you pick a lesson to do that?" he asked baffled.

"Well, you can't walk away from me here can you! What other choice have you left me with, really".

Ron went quiet. He knew that he should just have this out with her, it was no good to ignore her, things would just end up worse.

"Ok, what do you want to talk about?" he whispered.

"I never invited Viktor here. He just wrote to me and said that he had something to tell me" she told him nervously.

"And?" Ron pressed.

"And what? He's not here to get me back. I don't know why he's here, but trust me, it's not for that". She went on. Ron tried to look like he didn't care.

"Look Hermione, no offence or anything, but I don't know why you're telling me this. It's none of my business".

Hermione looked down. What had gotten into him. He was flirting with another girl, and he didn't care that Viktor was here.

Professor McGonagall had noticed them talking and walked over to them.

"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley. How is your work coming along?"

Hermione looked up guiltily at her favourite teacher and smiled apologetically, "Sorry Professor".

They went back to their assignment. Hermione was having trouble concentrating and kept leaving the snout and tail of the pig they were trying to transfigure into a toad. Ron couldn't help but smile.

They didn't speak again until the end of the lesson as they were packing away their books.

"We need to talk Ron. We can't keep doing this"

Ron nodded, "I know. We've got a free period after lunch, you wanna meet me in the common room?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, let's go outside. We won't be disturbed there".

"Ok. I'll see you at lunch then" Ron finished as he picked up his bag and caught up with Harry.

"Why did you leave me with her?" He growled to his best friend as they walked along the corridor to their next class.

"You two have to sort this shit out. Whether it ends up good or bad, I don't care anymore, I just it sorted so we can all go back to being friends" Harry pleaded.

"What if it's not that simple? And what do I tell her about Jake?"

"There's nothing to tell at the moment. Just tell her to be careful. We're still going to keep an eye on him. And no matter what happens, we're all still best friends. Just don't come back until you have everything sorted out. And don't act like a prat" he finished jokingly.

The next lesson flew by, of course it would, there was only one thing that Ron dreaded more than spending a whole hour with Snape. And that was having to have a heart to heart with Hermione.

Lunch went by just as quickly, and before he knew it, he and Hermione were walking down to the Willow tree. Neither saying a word to each other until they sat down and made themselves comfortable.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that Viktor was coming. I was scared you'd be mad at me" Hermione said timidly.

"Yeah well, it's understandable, I guess. I did get pretty mad" Ron admitted, "But I'm not taking all the blame here Hermione, you can't deny that you've led me on".

Hermione looked away guiltily. He was right. She had led him on. She was the one that had kissed him, she was the one that always went running to him, she was the one who always instigated every intimate moment between them, and she was the one who always caused an argument or did something to push him away.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do" She cried.

Ron took a deep breath. It took all his strength not to reach over and hold her.

"Is there any chance that you'd dump Jake and be with me instead?" he asked hopefully, but somehow already knowing the answer.

"It's not that simple Ron. I mean, how could we work. We're always arguing, and then there's the fact that we'll never see each other after graduation. You and Harry are going to be training as Aurors, and I'll be travelling all over the world"

"We've still got until the end of next summer Mione. And you're right, it might not work out, but aren't you willing to give it, give us a try?"

Hermione shook her head to cut him off.

"And what if it does work out and we're really happy? I won't put a time limit on us Ron. I can't. I don't want to be with you only to have to split up when we leave school" she cried desperately.

Ron knew she was making sense. How could they just end it after everything.

"Ok, so what do we do then? We can't keep on arguing, it's not fair to us or our friends. But we can't be as close as we have been because that's just too hard!"

"So I'll continue to be with Jake, and you'll do what?"

"I've got a date with Sarah" Ron reminded her.

"Right, Sarah!" she mumbled, looking away from him so he wouldn't see the jealousy she was feeling at the mention of another girl. Ron caught the look though and couldn't help but smile. It made a nice change for Hermione to be the jealous one.

"We can't be jealous though. If this is our decision, we have to live it." He said as he nudged her shoulder with his.

"You! Not be jealous? Right" she retorted, laughing.

"Ok, Ok, so we can't show that we're jealous" he replied with a laugh of his own.

They sat quietly for a few minutes while Ron wondered whether he should tell her about Jake's conversing with Malfoy or not. Finally, he decided to just give her a friendly warning.

"Look, there's something about Jake that you don't know. But I'm not saying it just to cause trouble, ok?" Hermione nodded, already thinking that she knew where this was going.

"About Hannah Abbot? I know, he told me" Ron looked at her confused, he didn't anything about Hannah Abbot.

"Oh, Ginny knew, I thought she would tell you anyway. Erm, Jake and Hannah kissed the night we were at the library. Remember when we saw Ginny, and she was acting weird?"

"So, Jake cheated on you and you're still with him?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It would be pretty hypocritical of me to blame him after what we've done, wouldn't it"

"Well, yeah, but still. Aren't you mad?" Hermione shook her head.

"No, at least no madder than he was when I told him about you" She replied flippantly.

"You told him about us?" Ron chocked out. What other surprises was she going to come out with?

"Why do you think he's so threatened by you?" She replied with a wink. Ron sat back against the tree, smiling.

"Flirting definitely isn't allowed" he told her, "But that wasn't what I was going to tell you. He's been talking to Malfoy… and I know it could be about anything, but as a Gryffindor, and you're boyfriend, it's just a bit odd, that's all" Ron said, proud of himself that he had managed to tell her something without hacking her off again.

Hermione watched him for a few moments, trying to decided whether he was just saying it to cause trouble.

"Are you sure it's not just a jealousy thing?" she asked. Ron smiled.

"I'm sure. Just please promise me that you'll be careful"

"I promise" she assured him.

"Ok, well, it's getting cold, we better head back inside" he said as he got to his feet and held out his hand to pull her up.

When she took his hand, he pulled her up with more force than he had meant to and she would've toppled over had Rons' keeper skills not kicked in and he hadn't caught her. Holding her waist, his eyes met hers then travelled down to her lips.

She noticed his eyes had grown dark, he wanted to kiss her, and she wanted to kiss him so badly. She knew that she shouldn't, but standing there, looking into his eyes, being so close she could feel his warm breath against her face, all rational thought left her. She licked her lips, leaning in slowly. She closed her eyes, waiting for the feel of his lips against hers. It never came. She opened her eyes, Ron was still staring at her.

"If we're gonna be with other people, we can't do this" He said darkly, it sounded like he struggling as well. Hermione shook her head clear.

"You're right. Sorry. You go on up. I'm gonna take a walk, clear my head." She said as she stepped away from him.

Ron nodded and after telling her to be careful, turned and walked towards the castle.

Left alone, and coming down from the intense feelings she had just experience, she suddenly felt the cold. She pulled her coat tighter around her. 'Maybe it'll be easier if he's with someone else' she thought as she began to head towards the lake.

She had almost reached it when she heard a deep voice calling her name. She turned to see Viktor running towards her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Hey big brother, don't you look nice" Ginny said as she walked into the boys dorm on Wednesday evening.

"Ginny, you can't just walk in here. There could have been boys getting changed!" Ron shrieked.

"Oh Ron, be quiet, it's not as if there's much to see!" she laughed.

Ron gave her his best warning glare, "I'll tell Harry you said that".

Ginny stopped laughing instantly.

"Fine. Are you ready for the big date?" she asked as she threw herself down on Harry's bed, hugging the pillow.

"I guess. Is she?" he asked nervously.

"She can't stop talking about it. Did you know that she's had a crush on you since 2nd year?"

Ron blushed. "No, I never really noticed her before" he admitted.

"That's because you were always paying attention to Hermione" Ginny reminded him.

Ron looked down thoughtfully. He supposed that he was just experiencing last minute nerves, but he couldn't help thinking that he was doing the wrong thing, so he asked Ginny about it.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, letting her go I mean, letting her stay with him?"

"Ron, as much as I love Hermione, and I do you know, she's my best friend. But she hasn't really given you much of a choice has she! Sarah really likes you and I think she'd be good for you. I think you're doing the best thing that you can do" she said truthfully. "Now go get her". She winked at him and followed him out of the dorm room, down the stairs and into the common room.

Sarah was standing at the bottom of the stairs, having just come down herself. She was dressed in a pair of dark blue boot cut jeans and a long sleeved black top with a 'Weird Sisters' logo on the front. Her hair was mostly hanging down, save for 2 small sections which were held up by a clip just above her ears.

She really was pretty, Ron thought.

"Hey, you look really nice" he said as he walked over to her.

"Thanks, erm, Ginny picked out my clothes, and Hermione did my hair. I was a little nervous" she admitted, smiling shyly then looking down at the floor.

"Me too… I mean, not about the hair or clothes, but, ya know" his own nervousness seemed to put Sarah at ease and she laughed softly. He smiled his lop-sided grin and held out his hand for her, which she readily accepted and they left the common room.

As they were still in school, there really wasn't much that they could do, so they decided to just take a walk around the castle, it was quite warm outside, considering it was early November.

Ron found that she was really easy to talk to. They talked about everything, their families, their childhoods, past relationships and crushes. Ron felt slightly guilty admitting to her that he hadn't noticed her before the night of the ball, but she informed him that she always knew he liked Hermione, and knew that no-one really stood a chance of being seen when she was in the room, even when Ron had had his brief thing with Lavender Brown, who Sarah also didn't like.

She told him that she had only had one boyfriend, a Hufflepuff called Deacon Smith, but it hadn't lasted long as he also had a thing for his best friend.

Ron was really enjoying hanging out with Sarah, so he was more than a little disappointed when the evening came to an end. They walked back up to the common room, hand in hand.

"I had a really good time tonight Ron. Thank you" Sarah said as she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Me too. I'd like to do it again sometime. If you wanted to that is" he smiled.

"I'd like that too" Sarah smiled in return.

It was officially the end of the date, and Ron realised that Sarah was waiting for him to kiss her. He felt a sudden sense of nervousness. He knew this would come up, but he hadn't been sure whether he'd be able to do it or not. Looking at her smiling face, he realised that he really wanted to. It wasn't a feeling he was used to. His first ever kiss was with Lavender, and he only did that to make Hermione jealous.

His first kiss with Hermione was during a game of 'Truth or Dare' and that was in front of his siblings. But now, he was standing in front of someone that he actually liked, and she liked him, and it could actually go somewhere he wanted it to go.

Not wanting to keep her waiting too long that she'd think he didn't want to kiss her, he leant forward, placing his right hand on her waist and she reached up to meet him halfway. Closing his eyes, he felt her lips touch his. They felt so soft, not as soft and full as Hermione's, but a lot gentler than Lavender.

He felt her part her lips and he took the initiative to deepen the kiss, stroking her tongue with his.

After a few moments, he heard movements behind him, and someone coughing nervously. They broke the kiss and turned to see Harry standing there, broom in hand.

"Hey Harry" Ron greeted awkwardly, while Sarah blushed and tried to hide behind Ron.

"In the corridor, of all places. Honestly Ronald Weasley" Harry replied teasingly, putting on his best Hermione impression.

Ron laughed sarcastically and turned back to the portrait, noticing for the first time that the fat lady was looking down at them with amusement. He muttered the password and the portrait swung open allowing them entry. He let Sarah go in first, then quickly stepped in after her, Harry following afterwards.

The 3 of them walked over to where Hermione and Ginny sat. Sarah said goodnight to them all and went straight up to bed. Harry sat down behind Ginny and whispered something in her ear, she looked over at Ron and chuckled. He sat down next to Hermione, knowing that he wouldn't be able to look at her when Ginny started teasing him.

"It went well then, huh?" Ginny said with a wide smile.

He couldn't help but grin goofily, "Yeah, we're gonna, erm, go out again".

Hermione snapped her book shut and stood up, announcing that she was going to go up to bed as well.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked once he was sure she was out of ear shot.

"I think she's just finding out how you've been feeling the last couple of months" Ginny told him.

"I don't want her to feel like that. It's horrible" he grimaced.

"I know, but you can't stop her feeling it anymore than she could stop you" Ginny explained.

Ron moaned and dropped his head in his hands.

"But you like Sarah?" Ginny asked, wanting to make sure it wasn't just an act on his part.

He grinned again and blushed, "Yeah, I really do".

"Hey sweetheart, are you ok? You've been a little quiet this week" Jake asked Hermione as they sat in the library on Friday night.

"Yes I'm fine, I'm just a little stressed about exams" she lied. She had been thinking about Ron and Sarah.

After their date on the Wednesday, they had practically been inseparable and had decided to go out again tonight.

"Are you sure? It's just that NEWT's don't start for another 4 months. If it's something else, you can tell me you know".

Hermione glared at him irritably,

"I'm fine. And I still have to study you know" she said huffily.

"I know, but you can study without getting stressed. I don't why you don't just tell me what's really bothering you" Jake replied just as huffy.

Hermione sighed heavily, "Are you going to be quiet and let me study? Because if you're not, you can leave me alone!"

"Baby, if I've done something wrong, please, just tell me. I don't want to argue with you" Jake pushed, trying to keep her calm. It obviously didn't work as she stood up angrily, almost knocking her chair to the floor.

"If you don't want to argue, don't bug me" she snapped as she began packing her books away, "And don't call me 'Baby', it's annoying", and then she walked, leaving a very stunned Jake sitting alone at the table.

She knew she had been unfair, but Jake always seemed to be around her, always being nice to her, always making sure she was ok. It was as if he was trying to take away her independence. She felt like she was suffocating. She also couldn't stop thinking about what Viktor had said.

But still, it wasn't Jake's fault that Ron was out on a date, it was hers, although she was treating him as though it was.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow, apologise for being off with him" she decided. Right now, she just needed to be alone, secluded from the world.

"No such luck" she thought as she got to her room and, after changing into her night clothes and robe, perched herself up onto the window seat overlooking the Quidditch pitch.

There were two people out there flying close to each other. She knew who it was immediately, even if it wasn't still light enough outside to make out faces. She'd know the figure anywhere.

She wanted so much to pull away from the window, but for some reason, she found she couldn't do it.

She watched the young couple fly about, laughing and chasing after each other. Watching him, she realised she hadn't seen him so happy in… she didn't even know how long. He looked so relaxed and carefree. It was such a bittersweet feeling. She was happy that he was happy, but at the same time, she couldn't help the jealous painful knot in her stomach that she wasn't the cause of his happiness.

"It could have been you" said that little voice in her head, the one that always surfaced when she was torn or regretful. She hated that little voice, it was always right, and she hated being wrong.

She swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump that had formed in her throat and was threatening to suffocate her if she didn't let it out.

She continued to watch Ron and Sarah play their game of chase, all the while willing her tears not to fall.

She watched as they descended and dismounted their brooms, watched as they walked off the Quidditch pitch hand in hand. The wind picked up and Ron took off his coat, offering it to Sarah, which she gratefully accepted, thanking him with a hug, and then she watched as they came together in a long kiss.

It was no use. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She turned away from the window and slid down onto the cold wooden floor beneath her, allowing the dry sobs to rack her chest and finally let her tears fall.

Hermione awoke a few hours later. The room was dark and she realised she was still on the floor.

"I must have cried myself to sleep" she thought as she stood up. Remembering that she had left her books downstairs, she decided to go down and retrieve them, no-one would be up at this time anyway.

As she made her way down the stairs, she saw the flicker of flames from the fireplace reflecting off the wall. Someone was still up. Maybe she should just go back upstairs, she didn't need her books now anyway. She turned to go back up stairs, but as she did, the step that her foot was on creaked as she turned. Hoping that whoever was downstairs hadn't heard anything, she lifted her foot to take the next step. Turns out it wasn't her night.

"Hello, who's there?" came a voice she knew only too well. Mentally kicking herself again, she walked down the remaining steps and poked her head around the corner.

"Hey, sorry. I didn't know you were still up" she said softly.

"Oh, it's ok. Come sit with me for a bit" Ron invited.

Hermione looked back in the direction of the stairs, judging whether this was a good idea or not. Her feet didn't wait for her to decide, and before she knew it, she was sat next to him on the sofa.

"You ok?" he asked gently. God was it that obvious? Did she look that bad?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just having trouble sleeping" she answered.

"Wanna talk about it? I'm a really good listener you know" he joked.

"Really? And who told you that?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Sarah" Ron replied shyly

"I better warn her it won't last long then" she joked.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the flames, die down, enjoying each others company.

"Is everything ok with Viktor?" Ron asked surprising Hermione a little. He had asked if everything was alright with Viktor. And he had called him… Viktor.

She hesitated for a minute before she told him what Viktor had told her, she was expecting him to blow up at her. Instead, when she finished telling him, he merely nodded his head and asked;

"You don't' believe him?".

"It's not that I don't believe him. It's just that if something was wrong, Dumbledore would know about it". Ron just stared at her. "Don't look at me like that Ron" she warned.

He shook his head as he got up from the sofa, "You know what I think Hermione" he said, leaning forward to place a light kiss on her forehead.

"Maybe you should talk to him again. Hear everything he has to say. Goodnight Mione".

"Yeah, night Ron" 'At least I didn't show that I'm jealous' she thought afterwards.

Ron and Harry had decided to talk to Viktor themselves on the Sunday about what he had told Hermione. Viktor had been only too happy to tell them everything. Including that bits that Hermione hadn't given him a chance to say. This included details of the attack on Jake's school. The Death Eaters had been led not by Voldermort, but by a young man. His face had been covered but the teachers that had survived the attack had said that from his voice and build, that he was still a teenager.

Harry told Viktor about what Dobby had found out, that Jake had been seen talking to Draco Malfoy. Ron remembered the conversation he and Hermione had heard when they were down in the cupboard. Whoever Malfoy was talking to had been talking about their Father. The pieces all started coming together.

"Harry, do you think it's the same person?" Ron asked, hoping that Harry would say no. Harry didn't say anything, he just stared at Ron, Viktor, however, did speak.

"I think it may be a possibility".

He then proceeded to tell them about a conversation he had had with Igor Karkaroff before he was killed. A muggle whose sister had been a witch was involved in a few attacks on some small wizarding communities. Voldermort had taken a liking to her. No-one knew exactly knew the extent of the relationship, but it was enough for them to believe that Voldermort and the muggle had had a child. And that it was a huge possibility that Jake was that child.

Harry, Ron and Viktor all decided that they'd all keep their eyes open and meet up once a week to discuss what they had found. It wasn't easy to do this in secret though as Viktor had to go back to Bulgaria during the week, but had made a habit of visiting on the weekends, therefore, Ron and Harry would split their week up into Quidditch practice, homework time, girlfriend time and friend time. They were both getting spread a bit thin. They didn't see Hermione much, on the nights they were free, she would be spending time with Jake, and on the evenings that she was free, they would have practice or would be meeting Viktor. She had been curious as to why they were spending so much of their weekends with Viktor. Although she had suspected that it had something to do with Jake. She had been spending less time with Jake, much to his displeasure. She found that she would always pick a fight with him and then ignore him for days at a time.

With the boys away, and Jake not allowed to speak to Hermione on most occasions, Ginny, Sarah and Hermione took to hanging out together a lot. Unfortunately for her, it meant hearing about Ron from Sarah. It would have been so much easier if she was a bitch, but she wasn't. She was kind and funny, she really cared about Ron and she did make him happy.

There were even a few nights when Hermione would come back from spending time with Jake and be in a foul mood. Sarah had listened to her pour out her problems, of course, Hermione left out the parts about mostly being annoyed with Jake because he wasn't Ron, although she had a feeling Sarah had a slight inkling that he had something to do with it. But still, she never said anything , never tried to rub her nose in it. They had even studied sometimes. Ron had often walked in on them in the middle of a very progressive study session and had had to pull them both away from their books.

To his credit as well, Ron had tried to be as careful around Hermione as he could, but he knew she understood he couldn't hold back too much for Sarah's sake.

Sarah and Ginny together had convinced Hermione that she couldn't keep going on like this. She wasn't happy. So she had arranged to meet Jake in one of the Ancient Runes classrooms after she had talked to Ron.

He had asked if they could take a walk and talk about a few things. After one particular meeting he had had with Harry and Viktor, they came to a decision that they would tell Hermione. Ron volunteered as she wouldn't talk to Viktor, and Harry didn't want to get his head bitten off. Ron had the most experience in arguing with her, so it was only right that it be him.

They decided to meet at their usual spot, underneath the willow tree by the lake. She dreaded going there. It seemed every time they met there, it was for a painful heart to heart. So here she was, standing, leaning against the tree when he hurried over to her, apologising for being late because Snape had kept him.

"It's ok, what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked shakily. 'Please just get it over with, whatever it is, just please, make it quick' she silently pleaded. She knew it was bad by the apprehensive look Ron wore.

"I, er , we, er…. There's something you need to know about, erm, well, about Jake" he said quickly.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Not this again" she said as she made to move away.

"No wait, it's not just me. It's Harry and Viktor as well. Jake's not who he says he is, he's dangerous and we're all scared of what he can do, who he can hurt"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Ok, fine, who is he and who can he hurt?"

"Well, we don't know exactly what he can do, but we're sure he led the Death Eaters into the school he said he went to"

"So you're saying he's a Death Eater then?" Hermione scoffed

"He's more than that, Mione. He's his son." Ron finally told her. She stepped back at this bit of information.

"No he's not. He didn't have a son. Why are you saying this?" She all but screamed at him as she started to pace up and down.

"He's the spitting image of Tom Riddle. That's why Ginny was so shaken up that night. She saw him with Hannah and he threatened her. She flashbacked to when she was pushed against the wall by Riddle in the chamber. Harry thought he recognised him, and when Viktor told us about the school, it all fell into place." Ron explained to her desperately as he watched her pace back and forth in front of him.

"You're lying. You have to be. If you've known about this for this long, you didn't tell me, you kept me with him. If he was Voldermorts son, don't you think he would've killed me by now?" Hermione stressed.

"No, we don't. He loves you, he wouldn't hurt you. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I did try to warn you, I tried to keep you from him but you wouldn't listen. We kept an eye out anyway, I would never put you in danger, you know that"

"Oh do I? Well, you haven't shown me that recently have you!" she spat out, regretting the words as soon as she said them.

"Hermione, we talked about this. We've both moved on. But I'm not here to talk about us. You need to know what Jake is"

Hermione shook her head at him, "I can't do this" she said as she went to walk past him.

Ron caught her arm and pulled her towards him,.

"Hermione, please think about this" he was still holding her arm and she noticed for the first time that their faces were mere inches apart.

Ron looked down at her lips, then back into her eyes. His eyes were dark with want and need. Hermione shivered with the knowledge of what was going through his mind.

Moving closer to him, she whispered, "Are you sure we've both moved on Ron?" then she pulled away from him and ran up to the castle.

Ron threw his hands up into his hair, exhaling deeply s he turned round abruptly and kicked the trunk of the tree.

"Damn it Hermione" he growled, "Stop being so bloody stubborn!"

Hermione ran all the way up to the castle and all the way up to the empty Ancient Runes classroom where she had arranged to meet Jake.

She slammed the door and quickly put a silencing charm on the room. Once she did that, she progressed to shrieking and banging on the door and tables as hard as she could. She was having a complete melt-down.

In her rage of fury, she somehow began to think rationally. What if they were right. It was all three of them saying it, 4 if you counted what Ginny had told them. There was no reason for Ron to lie now, he had Sarah, he was happy with her, he didn't want Hermione anymore, yet he still claimed he was innocent over the whole Boggart incident, and Ginny was right, Ron had everything to lose.

But not the other stuff. Dumbledore would know if Voldermorts kid was a pupil at his school. But Jake did lie about the Boggart, that all made sense now.

She sunk down onto the stool nearest her, in her moment of clarity, a whole weight had lifted off her shoulders, it was as if she was thinking clearly for the first time in months.

She laid her head down on the table, catching her breath back after her outrage. The door clicked open and in stepped Jake.

She looked up at him, the affection she had had for him had disappeared. He could see that something had changed, and he wouldn't mind betting that it had something to do with her conversation with Ron he had seen her having.

"I saw you talking to Ron earlier. Looked very cosy" Jake said, devoid of any emotion. He had seen what had almost happened when she left him, and he no longer cared whether she knew it or not.

"He had some things to tell me, important things"

"About me I suppose?"

Hermione nodded. "He said you're not who you say you are, that you have connections to the dark lord" she didn't want to just come out and say 'he thinks you're the spawn of all evil'

"And do you believe him?" he asked stepping closer to her.

"I don't know" she answered stepping away from him, "But I do know one thing- he didn't set the Boggart on you did he?".

Jake looked away and it was all the confirmation she needed.

Rising up to her full height, she laughed disbelievingly.

"I can't believe you did that, are you mad? I can't understand this, how could you do that, why did you do that?" she rambled.

"He was trying to take you away from me, what was I supposed to do? I had to do something to get him out of your life" he shouted.

"So you lied to me. You watched me lose one of my best friends because you were afraid of the competition" she spat out.

"He was my biggest threat, and he was never just one of your best friends was he! I had to get rid of him, but now I realise he'll never be out of your life will he?" he spat back.

"No, you did. Because I stayed with you and now he has Sarah. I've ruined what chance he and I had because I decided to believe you over him. I can't believe you did this. It's sick"

"Well my plan didn't really work did it, I still lost you. But I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have done it…. I should've waited it out" he sneered.

"No" Hermione stated "I came here to break up with you anyway, that's why I wanted to meet you here." She said a little more calmly.

"You said you loved me Hermione" Jake said, for the first time since stepping into the room, he showed how upset he really was over losing her.

"And for that I'm sorry, I should never have said it. But you said so yourself, you could never have me while Ron was around"

"But what's the point Hermione. He's crazy about Sarah, he won't leave her".

Hermione shook her head and made her way to the door. "It doesn't matter. I can't keep lying to you or myself. If that means being alone and watch him with someone else, that's fine, because at least I won't be with you" she spat out bitterly.

She then opened the door and walked out into the corridor. She had a lot of explaining to do, it was just a shame she had realised it too late.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

It had been 4 hours since Ron had spoken to Hermione. He had gone straight up to the common room and told Harry and Ginny about what had happened. Sarah had joined them half way through the conversation, obviously he left out the part about him almost kissing Hermione, even from Harry and Ginny.

They would have started to worry about Hermione taking so long if Jake hadn't stormed in 3 hours beforehand growling, "Are you happy now?".

By the time Hermione actually did get back to the common room, there were only a few students still awake. Ron and Sarah were snuggled up on the sofa. Harry and Neville were playing a game of exploding snap and Ginny was sat next to him, trying to concentrate on her homework.

Hermione walked over to Ginny and perched herself on the arm of the chair next to her.

"Hey. Are you ok? Did everything go alright?" Ginny asked softly, looking up into Hermione's puffy red eyes.

"Yes, and Yes. Did he come back?" Hermione asked, her voice croaky from crying.

"MmmHmm. Didn't seem too happy though. I take it you broke up with him".

Hermione looked over at Ron.

"Yes, he lied about the Boggart" she said distantly, then slumping forward, she shook her head and shakily continued, "Oh, why didn't I believe Ron? I've ruined everything now".

"You should talk to him Hermione" Harry interrupted as he finished up his game with Neville.

He stood up and gave Ginny a quick goodnight kiss and gave Hermione a hug. He then waved to Ron and quickly climbed the stairs, Neville following close behind.

Ron looked over to Hermione and Ginny. He wasn't sure whether he should smile or not, but when she smiled at him awkwardly first, he did the same and shifted in his seat uncomfortably, which caught Sarah's attention as she was beginning to fall asleep lying up against his shoulder.

"It's ok, go talk to her" she said as she sat up.

"Are you sure? It can wait until the morning…"

"No it can't" Sarah cut him off, "It's ok, I'm tired anyway. I'll see you in the morning" she said as she got off the sofa and gave him a quick kiss.

He smiled a thanks to her and whispered "Night" then watched her walk over to Hermione, give her a hug, whisper something to her then, grabbing Ginny, went up to bed, leaving the 2 friends in the common room alone.

"Hey" Ron said softly and awkwardly as he stood up and walked over to her, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Hermione tried her best at putting on a brave smile. It didn't work, she let her head drop forward and her shoulders began to shake.

Ron didn't know what to do, he hated it when girls cried in front of him, he was useless at this.

"I'm so s..s..sorry Ron" she cried. He stepped into action and walked closer to her, pulling her into a hug.

He guided them back to the sofa and sat them both down, all the while, never letting her go.

"Mione, it's ok. Everything will be alright" he whispered into her hair.

She shook her head in disagreement. "No, no it's not…. I should have believed you about the Boggart. I'm so sorry!". she cried again.

Ron sat them both back so she could rest her head against his chest.

"It doesn't matter now. Sshhh! It's ok" he said soothingly, stroking her back with one hand and her hair with the other.

They sat there like that for a while. He allowed her to cry as much as she needed to, whispering soothing words in her ear. He wouldn't push her, he could wait until she was ready.

Finally, she sat up a little, but still not relinquishing contact with him.

"He admitted that he lied about the Boggart. Oh! It was horrible" she continued to tell him everything that happened and what had been said, including what had been said about him.

"So it's over now? You're not with him anymore?" Ron asked.

She sat up so they were face to face and shook her head.

He noticed for the first time how tired she looked, and he knew that it wasn't just down to the crying of that day. By the looks of it, she hadn't slept for weeks.

He watched as a lone tear ran down her cheek, and out of instinct, he raised his hand to catch it. He stroked her cheek, clearing away any remnants of her tears. He could've sworn that there was something keeping his hand against her face, because he couldn't seem to pull his hand away, instead, he watched as it moved up to her brow, sweeping the stray curl, that he had, on many occasions, imagined twirling around his fingers as they kissed, behind her ear. She was also staring back at him. His mind went blank, he knew what she wanted and right now, he wasn't thinking clearly enough to deny her.

Dipping his head lower, he brushed his nose against hers as the hand that had got rid of the curl a moment ago went back to her cheek, pulling her into him.

Their lips met, at first, it was a soft kiss, but growing quickly in intensity. The curl fell back in between them and he did what he had fantasized about, twirling the curl around his fingers and smiling against her lips. They were utterly lost in one another. And it wasn't until Hermione shifted to get closer to him, did it bring them out of their trance.

Ron quickly pulled away, standing up, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Hermione remained on the couch, looking up at him confused.

"We can't do this Mione. I'm with Sarah" he breathed out.

She looked down at her hands. A myriad of emotions running through her.

"Look" Ron said, sitting back down next to her once he had caught his breath, "you know how I feel, but Sarah doesn't deserve this. And I can't end it because you're available again. I don't want to".

Hermione looked up at him, she was hurt by his words, but she knew it was how it had to be.

"I know she doesn't deserve it. But you deserve to be happy too" she told him.

"I am. She's a great girl Hermione, and I am happy".

Hermione watched him for a few moments, then said, "If you're really happy, that's all that matters. And she is a great girl. I'm glad I'm friends with her".

Ron smiled.

"Me too, and so is she. She told me that she really likes you. She told me that your opinion of her mattered more than anyone's. Ya know, cos you're my best friend and all".

Hermione nodded again, as long as he was happy, that was the main thing. She went to stand up but he grabbed her wrist, not sure whether it would be a good idea for her to be alone or not.

"Why don't you stay up with me for a while? We haven't really seen each other much recently"

"Are you sure?" she didn't want to make it more awkward for him.

"Of course I'm sure, come on". She looked up at him gratefully and sat back next to him. They carried on talking for a couple more hours, before finally, they both fell asleep on the sofa.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Ron! RON! Wake up, Sarah will be down in a minute, get up" Ginny said frantically as she shook her brother.

Ron opened one eye to see what was going on, then came to his senses when he realized he was in a rather compromising position. He and Hermione had fallen asleep together, and they were now lying front to front, legs intertwined, she was curled up into him while he had one arm wrapped around her shoulder and the other hand was holding her waist.

He sat up in panic, which in turn woke Hermione up and caused her to fall to the floor.

"What's going… oh!" she exclaimed as she too realized the awkward position they were in.

"Both moved on quickly I see" came Jake's cold voice from the bottom of the boy's stairwell.

"Nothing happened Gin" Hermione whispered desperately.

"Yeah well, that won't matter if you don't get up" Ginny warned.

"Oh no, stay as you are, I'm sure Sarah would understand"

"Understand what Jake?" Sarah asked in a resigned tone.

"That's it impossible to keep these two apart, they spent the whole night together, don't you know?" Ron looked at Sarah pleadingly.

"I do know. I came down in the middle of the night and they were asleep. What's the big deal? Nothing happened"

"You don't honestly believe that do you?" Jake asked, shocked.

"Yes I do believe that. But correct me if I'm wrong… it isn't any of your business what she does anymore is it?" she retorted smugly.

"I don't know what you're so smug about. Give it a few more weeks and you'll be tossed aside, he'll find some excuse to let you go" Jake jeered.

"You mean like Hermione finding the excuse that you lied about Ron setting the Boggart on you? Oh no, I'm sorry, that was true."

There was a collection of gasps and whispers in the room. Jake turned around to see that all students had now risen. Including Harry who had already made his way over to the couch where Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood.

"You think you're so clever don't you, thinking that you can just slide into their little world. Well let me tell you something about their little group. It's pathetic".

Harry stepped forward, ready to stop Jake from continuing, but Ron grabbed his arm, holding him back, nodding toward Sarah who was shaking her head to indicate that she was fine.

"You have the boy-that-lived that can't stop whining about his destiny, an insufferable know it all mud blood and 2 Weasley's that provide nothing but arguments. All they do is follow the other two around like love sick puppies." Jake growled as he advanced on Sarah and looked at the other 4 in turn.

Ginny was trying her best to hold Harry back. Hermione was standing rooted to the spot. Stunned that her ex-boyfriend had just called her that.

Ron was seething with rage, rolling his sleeves up, he rushed towards Jake, however, Sarah got to him first. With one swift movement, she launched her fist against his nose. Jake cried out in agony, holding his nose as he went down.

"You Bitch… you broke my dose"

"And it was one of the Weasley's that broke your nose before, was it not. And for your information, this pathetic group of people saved the world on more than one occasion." Sarah yelled as she leaned over his now cowering form.

"The boy that lived who can't stop whining defeated Voldermort, twice. Ginny Weasley, apart from being the first person to break your nose, gave him the love he needed to defeat him. Ron Weasley provided the strength for the whole group to survive the last 7 years, and the insufferable know it all is the brightest witch in over a century, as a muggleborn, she has done more for the wizarding world than most purebloods would do, but without a doubt, the most intelligent thing she's ever done is realize what a filthy disgrace you are and she can do so much better for herself than you!" Sarah ranted in one long breath.

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence. Jake looked around for someone to escort him up to the hospital wing, but with everyone hearing what had just happened, no-one was prepared to go near him. He got up, and as he walked out of the common room, he could hear everyone muttering under their breath that he shouldn't be allowed the privilege of being a Gryffindor.

Ron looked over at Sarah, he could see that she was shaking, then he looked over at Hermione. She was now perched on the edge of the sofa, and he could tell she was trying so hard to hold back the hurt she felt. He was torn, he wanted to go to both of them, but Sarah was his girlfriend, that's where he needed to be.

He looked over to Harry, hoping that he would understand what Ron wanted. Thankfully, he did and Harry walked over to Hermione and gathered her into his arms, letting her begin to cry.

Ron walked over to Sarah and looked deeply into her eyes.

"That was amazing. I knew there was a reason I was crazy about you" he told her.

She choked out a laugh and buried her head in his chest.

"Ron, did anything happen last night? Please just tell me the truth. I won't hold it against you, I just need to know" she whispered frantically.

Ron peered over at Hermione who was looking at him over Harry's shoulder, she shook her head as if knowing what Sarah had asked.

He pulled away from her slightly, and raised her chin so their eyes met,

"I swear to you nothing happened" he said sincerely, hoping that his voice and eyes didn't betray him.

Sarah nodded and pulled him back into a hug. She figured that if she stayed there long enough, she might start to believe him.

------------------

"He…he called me a Mudblood!" Hermione sobbed in Harry's arms.

"I know. But look, Hermione you have to believe us now, about who he is".

She shook her head, "But, he spent all that time with me, he could have killed me at any point"

"But what Gryffindor would call you that. Besides, he doesn't want to kill you. He needs you, but I really think you should talk to Viktor again" Harry told her.

Ron looked over at them again, he could see that Hermione wasn't convinced, so, grabbing Sarah's hand, he went over and crouched down in front of Hermione, placing a hand on her knee, looking up into her eyes, he said; "Hermione, please talk to Viktor again. You have to trust us on this. Please."

She hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing to talk to him. Ron smiled gratefully and got to his feet, kissing the top of her head as he stood.

"I'm going to take a walk. Ron?" Sarah asked, needing to get some fresh air.

"So did anything happen, honestly?" Ginny asked mischievously once Ron and Sarah had left the room.

Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't help the slight smirk that crossed his lips.

"Honestly… no" Hermione sighed, "I don't think he likes me anymore. Which is just as well I guess". She lied, the less anyone knew about the night before, the better.

Harry and Ginny didn't say anything. They knew Ron still loved Hermione, but he was with Sarah, so they thought it best not to say anything about it.

"Ok, well, I better get to the library, I'll see you both later" Hermione said as she wiped her eyes, "I'll speak to Viktor when I see him".

----------------------------

"You think he still likes her?" Harry asked when she was out of ear shot.

"Do you really need to ask?" she replied.

"Good point. Do you think anything happened last night?" Harry questioned again.

Ginny shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know!"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Instead of going to the library like she said she would, Hermione had decided to spend the day studying in the room of requirement. She didn't want to be disturbed and she thought that this would be the place to go.

Harry and Ginny were spending the day together, Viktor was still under the impression that he and Hermione weren't talking, and she had no doubt that Ron would be with Sarah. So she was greatly surprised when the door creaked open and Ron appeared from underneath Harry's invisibility cloak.

"I'd thought I'd find you here" he told her as he crouched down in front of her.

She was curled up on a pile of floor cushions with 'Hogwarts: A History' lying in her lap. It was her favorite book and it always helped her re-focus whenever things were getting on top of her.

"I just wanted to be alone for a while" she told him softly.

"Oh… do you want me to go?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

Hermione knew that he'd only wait for her outside if she said yes, so she let him stay.

"No, it's ok. Did you want anything in particular?"

Ron shook his head."No, I was just worried about you, you've been gone hours".

"Yes well, it's not everyday a girl finds out that her boyfriend is the spawn of the most evil wizard to ever exist" she said dryly.

"You spoke to Viktor then?"

"No, not yet." she told him. "And when did you start calling him Viktor anyway?" she had always scolded Ron for calling him _Vicky_, but in truth, she kind of enjoyed it. She had always felt a twinge of happiness that he could possibly be jealous. So it bothered her a little bit that he no longer called him _Vicky._

"When I realized he wasn't trying to kill us" Ron joked, "And he isn't really a threat to me anymore" he added teasingly. His grin made Hermione smile.

She could always count on him to cheer her up with just a smile.

"You do know that he never really was a threat, right? Even when he and I were together, it was more of a distraction".

Ron felt awkward. He knew they would have to have this conversation and talk about last nights kiss, but he really didn't want to do it now, so, he decided to try to change the subject.

"You're taking this whole thing really well by the way. I would've freaked out by now".

"Yes well, it's kind of turning into a habit that I can't keep a relationship for more than 2 months. I was expecting something to happen" she told him sadly.

Ron looked at her sympathetically. It didn't matter about what was happening between them, she was still his best friend, and he'd be there for her as best he could, reassure her when she was feeling bad.

But the more she spoke, the more he began to realize that he wasn't going to get away from talking about them.

"Maybe I am going to turn out to be a lonely old woman with a houseful of cats and old dusty books, just like everyone says".

"Mione, come on. So the two relationships you've had didn't turn out as well as you hoped, me and Harry had bad first relationships as well…"

"But both of your second ones are perfect" she cut in.

"The point is… you are only 17. You're still young; you have your whole life ahead of you."

"And where do we fit into this exactly Ron?"

Ron breathed heavily he was trying so hard to remain neutral. To talk to her as though there wasn't a them, when all he really wanted to do was tell her that he knew that everything would be alright because they'd end up together, he was the one that was going to make her happy, they just needed time to explore who they were first of all.

"Ron?" Hermione pressed.

He stood up, he was getting nervous and agitated now, he needed to walk around, let off some of the tension he had been feeling ever since he had woken up.

"Hermione, this isn't about us" he answered her quietly.

"We kissed Ron, it wasn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last. Don't you think we should talk about it?" she asked, a little harsher than she wanted.

"We didn't talk about it when you were with Jake. Why should we now?" he shot back.

Hermione stared at him, "That's hardly fair"

"Why not?" Ron shrugged, "We didn't talk then, I don't see why we should talk about it now that it suits you".

"Oh, so now you have the advantage again, you can insult me"

"What do you mean, now that I have the advantage again?" Ron asked, confused.

"You were exactly the same when you were with Lavender. Always winding me up, not caring about how I felt!"

"Merlin Hermione, all I did while I was with Lavender was care about how you felt. I went through hell watching how much I hurt you"

"I'm sure you did" Hermione retorted, "But it was the perfect way to get me back after I spent so much time with _Vicky_" she said, mimicking him. "That was very mature of you, Ron"

"And you going out with him and Jake was mature?"

"You know why I went out with them!" she said darkly. "You were too much of a coward to tell me you liked me".

"You were punishing me?" he asked, astonished. "Well do you know what, you could have told me instead!"

"I did. I asked you to Slughorns' party, but then you ran off with Lavender".

"Because you kissed Vicky" Ron exploded.

"Oh for Merlin's sake. See, we're doing it again. We're going round in circles and not getting anywhere. We need to sort this out!"

"Don't you think I know that? Bloody Hell woman". He threw his hands up in the air as if to express his frustrations.

They stood in silence after that last outburst, both flushed from screaming, neither knowing what else to say. Hermione slumped down on the desk at the front of the room. Ron went over and sat down in the old hard-backed wooden chair in front of her.

"Why did you come to find me? After last night… you come here alone to see if I'm alright, why, what do you get from it?" She finally asked hoarsely.

"You're my best friend Hermione, you've had a bad morning, and you haven't been seen in hours. Someone had to come and find you".

"Why not Harry? Or Ginny? Lavender bloody Brown even, but why you?" she moaned at him.

"What do you want me to say Hermione?" he asked looking up at her, "I was worried about you, I have been all bloody year. I didn't want you to be on your own after what happened."

"That doesn't answer my question, why did _you_ come?" she growled.

"They don't know I'm here. They told me to leave it, and that you just needed some time alone"

"You should have listened to them".

"Yeah I know, but I can't seem to stay away from you, so, you know", he said, smiling to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, same here" Hermione laughed.

Ron leant forward and put his head in his hands, taking a few deep breaths.

"What are we gonna do Mione?"

She stood up, and pulled his hands away.

He looked up at her, his eyes questioning.

"If we agree to only spend time together when other people are around, that we'll actually stick to it?"

"Probably not" Ron chuckled.

"Not that you'd ask, but I don't want to be the other woman, and we both know that you're not breaking up with Sarah".

Ron looked at her sadly, "I'm sorry Mione. I never wanted any of this to happen. I don't want to hurt you."

"I know. And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said what I did. I'm just feeling sorry for myself, ignore me!"

Ron stood up, leaving little room between the two.

"That's the trouble though isn't it. I can't ignore you" He tried looking in her eyes but she averted her gaze to the floor. "Mione, about all this, I'm so sorry". His voice was shaky now, he didn't know exactly what this meant for them, but it seemed so final none the less.

She looked up in his eyes again, hers glazed over with unshed tears. She nodded and gave him a wry kind of smile. She then reached up, fisting the collar of his shirt, she pulled him closer to her and pressed her lips to his roughly.

He returned the kiss immediately, feeling her tongue trace along his bottom lip, demanding entry. He gave it to her, hungrily deepening the kiss.

He lifted her up onto the desk and stood in between her legs, one hand on the small of her back, pulling her in closer to him. She snaked her arms around his shoulders, pulling them closer still. There was literally now no part of their bodies that weren't touching.

Ron was about to explode. He couldn't get enough of her, but at the same time, it was just too much. It was all too much. More than what they were supposed to do.

Begrudgingly, Ron yanked Hermione's arm away from his neck and released his hold on her.

"Hermione!" He said breathlessly.

"I know, I know." she agreed just as breathless. "Erm, I have to find Viktor" she stated frantically as she jumped off the desk and straightened out her clothes and hair. Avoiding eye contact, she quickly stepped around him and hurried to the door.

"Hermione" he called again.

She stopped with her hand on the door knob, not bothering to turn around when she said; "It's ok, it never happened."

Once she was out the door, Ron kicked one of the floor cushions off the floor, it hit the wall with so much force that the cushion exploded all over the place.

"What in Merlin's name am I doing?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You failed him. One simple and you couldn't do it" Malfoy sneered.

"You said it yourself. It was impossible to do"

"Well then you should have listened to me and killed them while you had the chance".

"You know why I couldn't kill them Draco. She needed him and I need her". He knew Draco was right, he should have killed Ron, but his feelings for Hermione had caused him to put her feelings before the ultimate goal. Killing Ron would have devastated her.

"I love her, all I needed was for her to love me back. That would have been impossible if he had died"

"You actually love the Mudblood? What would your father say?" Malfoy asked in disgust.

"Love is the only thing that my father couldn't do, and it was the one element that led to his defeat on both occasions. Love is what saved Potter. A mother's love saved him all those years ago, and then the love of his band of followers did it the last time. I had to break that connection." Jake explained urgently "Unfortunately, we underestimated the bond between them, which is something you should have warned us about" Jake warned darkly.

"And for that I am truly sorry… lord." Malfoy muttered under his breath. No matter how much he didn't like Jake, and didn't agree with his way of doing things, he was still the son of the Dark Lord, and Draco did not want to be punished.

"What do you plan to do to rectify the situation?" He asked.

Jake smiled, a twisted, evil smile. Taking on a far away expression he sneered, "I don't. from tonight, the battle begins… and lives will be lost".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione didn't have far to look for Viktor. He was flying about the Quidditch pitch, it was he always did when he had a lot on his mind, much like Ron did. Apparently, being so high up was cleansing. Viktor saw Hermione watching him from the stands and flew down to the ground.

"Hullo My-oh-nee" he greeted once he had dismounted his broom.

"Hello Viktor. Sorry to disturb you, but I was told that you were the one I needed to speak to about Jake".

Viktor nodded.

"You would like to go inside?" he gestured towards the castle.

They made their way up to the castle, steering clear of any conversation about Jake. That would have to wait until they got a more private place.

"Do you miss playing?" she asked, gesturing to the broom that Viktor was carrying by his side.

He had broken his shoulder after a very violent bludger attack during one of the most important games of his life. The break had been so severe; the medi-wizards were unable to heal it properly. Leaving Viktor no choice but to retire from the sport on a professional level.

"Yes, I do. Although it has been fun playing with Ron and Harry these last weeks".

Hermione smiled. She still couldn't get over the fact that Ron and Viktor were now friends. It was so typical of Ron to give Viktor a chance when someone else was in her life.

"I know what you is thinking. But I did speak to him about why we broke up. I am sorry for betraying your trust but I felt he needed to know", he explained regretfully.

"Oh Viktor, it's ok. I was the one that screwed it up. But that does explain why he has been a little weird around me".

"That is not why he has been… weird… around you" Viktor smiled as he held the door open for her when they finally got to an empty classroom.

As soon as they got settled, Viktor proceeded to tell Hermione everything that he, Harry and Ron had discussed over the last few weeks, and everything that he had learned from his sister about the attacks. The whole time, Hermione sat there listening intently.

"But why do all of this? I mean, I understand why he would want to get close to Harry, but why me? And if he really is Voldermort's son, it would sicken him to even talk to me, let alone date me.".

"I don't know. But there is more information which I have not yet talked to Harry or Ron." Viktor started.

"Go on" Hermione urged.

"I found out who the woman was that he had a special relationship with. Has Jake ever spoken of his mother?".

Hermione thought back on all the conversations that she had ever had with Jake about family. He had only ever told her that his birth mother died when he was very young.

"He mostly talked about his adoptive mother, he didn't know his birth mother".

Viktor took a deep breath before he let out the newest piece of information.

"As I have said, I have not spoken to Harry or Ron about this, I don't believe Harry knows, but it does affect him. The woman was named Rose Evans." he told her carefully, pausing while she took in the name.

"But… Harry's mum was Lily Evans" Hermione thought aloud.

"Yes. Rose Evans gave birth to a son about 17 years ago, she named the child Jacob Evans. When Rose died not long after the child was born, he was taken to a small wizarding community. The same one that the school stood in. three years ago, the family the child was sent to were found murdered with the Dark Mark over the house. The child was never found".

A tear slid down Hermione's cheek, "Are you sure? I mean, are you sure?"

"Yes, my father has connections some muggle law officers. They checked it out also, they came to the same conclusion. Harry's aunt…er… the Dursely's, they never knew of the child. Nobody knew of it, it is why Dumbledore did not do anything. He has had his suspicions, yes, but he could not prove it."

Hermione burst into tears, "How could I do this? I have been completely oblivious to everything they warned me about. How could I not see it?"

"You didn't want to see it. It is not your fault." Viktor assured her.

"Viktor, we have to do something, before it's too late" she said, clapping her hand over her mouth in horror as the situation hit her with full force.

"It already is!" A cold, raspy voice sneered from the doorway.

Hermione and Viktor turned to see Jake, his face was pale and his eyes dark, no longer the intense green that Hermione had been attracted to in the first place. He was twirling his wand effortlessly in his hands.

"So you've been filled in with all the details of my past I see."

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione asked through gritted teeth.

"You think I'd tell you the great plan before we're out of the school? Tut tut, stupid girl, I thought you were smarter then that" Jake started towards them.

Viktor stepped in front of Hermione and began moving backwards.

"Viktor, do we really need to do this? I'm going to get the girl anyway, why waste time fighting?" he remarked confidently.

"She is not going anywhere with you!" Viktor growled, his Bulgarian accent came through thickly in his anger.

Jake raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, "Really? And what makes you think that you can stop me?"

Viktor fired a hex at Jake, who easily dodged it.

"Come now Viktor I know you can do better than that!"

"Expelliarmus" Viktor cried, that too didn't work.

Jake merely disposed of it with a wave of his hand. Gripping his wand tighter, he laughed at the look of sheer panic Hermione wore.

"Viktor, please be careful" Hermione whispered.

Viktor continued to fire hexes and curses at Jake, all of them missing him.

"Oh come on, this is getting boring" Jake bellowed as he blocked yet another jinx.

Hermione had to do something, it would be easy enough to hit him as he was too concerned with blocking Viktor. He couldn't block both of them, and he was getting a bit too cocky.

She slid her wand from her pocket and aimed it at Jake, being careful to remain well hidden behind Viktor.

"Stupefy!" she cried. It worked. Jake fell to the floor. As he laid there, stunned, Hermione and Viktor made a run for it. They didn't make it very far when Jake caught up with them.

With a wave of his wand, he threw Hermione against the wall, rendering her unconscious.

Viktor turned round and raised his wand, he wasn't fast enough. Jake hit him with "Impedimentia" and "Silencio".

Viktor could no longer move or make a sound.

Jake walked calmly over to him, raising his wand.

"You really think you could have stopped me? Silly, silly boy" he tutted.

Hermione came round at that point and started to get to her feet. "Viktor" she cried as Jake raised his wand to Viktor's heart.

"Avada Kedavra" Jake hissed.

Green jets of light sprayed from his wand, hitting Viktor square in the chest, sending him flying through the air, landing in a crumpled heap at the top of the staircase.

Jake turned towards Hermione, terror rooting her to the spot.

'He killed Viktor, and now he's going to kill me'.

It was the last thought that went through her mind as Jake muttered "Forgive Me" and hit her with a stunning spell, sending her into complete darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Harry, I'm telling you, something's wrong!" Stated Ron as he paced impatiently up and down the common room.

"It hasn't been that long, I'm sure she's fine".

It had only been an hour and a half since she had gone to meet Viktor. He couldn't explain it, but he just had a feeling that something bad had happened, really bad.

"She would've been back by now, you know she would've" Ron said loudly as he threw his arms out in front of him in exasperation.

"Harry, Ron". The two boys jumped at the sudden call of their name. They hadn't heard Ginny come in.

Ron took one look at Ginny's ashen face and wide bloodshot eyes and slumped down on the couch, no longer able to stand.

"Is she still alive?" he asked quietly, almost as if asking the question louder would change the outcome.

Ginny opened her mouth to speak but found that no sound came out.

"Ginny, is she still alive?" he asked again, his panic now evident in his voice.

"I, er, I…." She couldn't do it. She could say the words to herself, but they were just not connecting with her mouth.

"GINNY!" Ron bellowed, "IS SHE A…"

"I don't know" Ginny finally got out, "They found Viktor, but he was already dead. They didn't find Hermione. Jake and Malfoy are missing too" she stumbled backwards and Harry jumped up to save her from falling.

"We have to find her Harry, we need to go now" Ron said shakily.

He ran immediately up the steps to the boy's dorm and grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak. Within seconds, he was back downstairs and marching towards the portrait door.

"Ron, we can't just go out there. We don't even know where they would be. Maybe we should talk to Dumbledore" Harry uncharacteristically urged. If he had learnt one thing from his battles, it was that you can't go rushing into something like this.

"Fine. You go speak to Dumbledore, I'm gonna get her back"

"Ron, you can't go out there alone. Please just wait and find out what Dumbledore thinks" Ginny tried.

"I can't just sit around and do nothing. What if he's hurting her?" Ron cried before sliding down the wall onto the floor, dropping his head to his knees.

Harry walked over and crouched down in front of him.

"Ron, we can't just go in there. We have to know where to go first of all, we need to inform the order members, we have to find out what we're dealing with."

"We know what we're dealing with Harry, and there's only a few places he'd go" Ron tried convincingly.

"Think what Hermione would do" came a sudden voice from the girl's stairwell.

The three friends turned to see Sarah standing there, shaking. "I know how you feel Ron, really I do. But they're right. You can't just go rushing into this thing unprepared. Hermione wouldn't let you… and neither am I!" she continued stubbornly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"But we need to…"

"You won't be much use to her dead now will you, which you will be if you go barging in there" she cut him off a little more sternly.

Harry chuckled in the background. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Hermione had given Sarah lessons in how to control Ron.

Ron looked down defeated. He knew they were right, but he had to save her, he had to make sure she was alright.

"Ok, we'll speak to Dumbledore first. But we are leaving straight after".

Harry and Ginny knew well enough not to argue any further. They were lucky enough that he had at least agreed to stay a little longer.

------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, the four Gryffindors sat in Dumbledore's office. Harry and Ron had quickly explained the things they had found out about Jake. The whole while, the headmaster remained unreadable. Once they had finished, Dumbledore nodded and walked over to his pensieve.

"We were able to remove Viktor's last memories before his spirit moved on. There are some things that you may find upsetting. Things that not even I knew until this afternoon". He looked kindly at Harry and Ron and motioned for them to follow him.

"You must both remember to remain calm" he reminded them; although Ron had the distinct feeling Dumbledore had said it more for his benefit than anything.

They looked at each other nervously and stepped forward. They peered into the Pensieve. The bright light swirling around in front of them. They could see an extra clump of light, a mixture of colours, whirling to the surface, and as they leaned forward for a better view, they felt the sudden pull as they were sucked into Viktor's memory. Within seconds, Ron, Harry and Dumbledore were standing in front of Hermione and Viktor.

They listened to everything that Viktor had to say very carefully. Once Harry learnt of his blood connection to Voldermort, he merely shrugged. Ron glanced at him, concern etched on his face.

"You ok mate?"

"Yeah. So he's related to me. The Dursleys were horrible, why not throw in Voldermorts son as my cousin" Harry replied bitterly.

Ron looked at Dumbledore awkwardly, not knowing how to react to this new piece of information.

Harry caught the look and rolled his eyes.

"Oh for god's sake Ron, I'm fine" he tutted.

They continued to watch the memory play out in silence, although Harry did have to restrain Ron once the attack started, it didn't matter to him that it was just a memory.

As soon as they were back in Dumbledore's office, Ginny and Sarah rushed over to their respective partners.

"What happened?" Ginny asked as she hugged Harry fiercely.

"We saw him kill Viktor. Before that, he was telling Hermione who Jake really is and that Voldermort is Jake's father, and his mother was my Aunt Rose"

"I didn't know you had an Aunt Rose" Ginny answered somewhat confused.

"Neither did I!" Harry shrugged with a bewildered laugh. He then turned to Dumbledore more seriously and announced that they needed to find Hermione. The old Headmaster nodded and beckoned for them to sit down.

As she sat down next to him, Sarah placed a comforting hand on Ron's knee, who thanked her with a reassuring smile. He took a breath before speaking.

"So where do we start?"

The five of them spent the next hour discussing possible locations Jake would have taken her. They had ruled out all of Voldermorts places such as Godrics Hollow, Jakes place of birth, Hogsmeade. They were almost out of ideas when Ginny suddenly remembered something.

"The place that he grew up, where his adoptive parents lived. Is it still standing?"

Harry and Ron realised what she meant immediately.

"Of course, he'd do exactly what I'd do. I had to go back to Godrics Hollow before I face Voldermort"

"It's where one life ended and another began" Ron finished for him. "That's where she is isn't it!"

They all looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

"I will send the order in. Under no circumstance must you go. You must wait until we know something" Dumbledore told them, he said it more to Ron and Harry than anything, already knowing that his warning would have no effect what so ever.

They nodded and left the office, taking a detour to Umbridge's old office. It still had a working Floo Network. They stopped just outside the door.

"There's nothing I can say to convince you to let me come is there?" Ginny asked knowingly as he spun her around to face him.

"Nope, but you're not going to try to stop me are you" Ginny half smiled as she said.

"As much as I love you, you are as stubborn as the rest of us Weasley's. I know by now there's no point trying to stop you"

Harry smiled at his girlfriend affectionately and ran a hand up and down her arm.

Ginny glanced over his shoulder at her brother and his girlfriend, "Just make sure all three of you get back here alive!" She said desperately, her voice cracking as Harry pulled her into a tight hug.

Meanwhile, Ron and Sarah were saying their own goodbye.

"I know it's a really stupid thing to ask, but is there any chance at all that you'll stay and let the Order members take care of things?"

Ron didn't know what to say, instead, he forced out a smile, "Sarah…" he began.

"I know, I know. You have to go, it's Hermione right?" she cut off, wiping newly formed tears away. "It's always going to be like this isn't it" Sarah continued.

Ron looked confused at this.

"Well, you-know-who only had one son, and the Death Eaters are all nearly captured, there's only a few Horcruxes left to find" he explained. Sarah shook her head.

"I don't mean that. I mean you, always running to Hermione's aid." Ron tried to bite back his anger.

"She's my best friend Sarah, and she's been kidnapped by the son of the most ruthless wizard in history. Of course I'm gonna go after her, just like I'd do it for Harry and vice-versa"

"But she's not just your best friend is she Ron!" Sarah spat back.

Ron muttered something angrily under his breath that Sarah couldn't quite make out, then yanked open the door to Umbridge's office.

Sarah lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.

"Ron, I'm sorry. I just think that we need to have a serious talk when you get back. There's something's I can't ignore anymore" the pain in her voice made Ron turn back round to face her; he adopted a guilty look across his face.

"I know, I'm sorry, but we've got to go" he gave Sarah a tight hug and kissed the top of her head the smiled down at her.

"I'll see you when I get back" Sarah nodded as Harry and Ginny came up to stand beside them.

"Ready to go?" asked Harry.

Ron nodded in return and gave his sister a hug. He allowed Harry to enter the abandoned office first then took one last look back at Ginny and Sarah. They both smiled at him and he closed the door. He saw Sarah turn towards Ginny who wrapped her arms around Sarah in a consoling hug.

Harry wanted to ask Ron if everything was alright between him and Sarah but there was a time and a place for that, and this certainly wasn't it. Besides that fact, Harry didn't believe that Ron would be able to answer honestly.

He looked around the room for the pot of Floo powder, finding it at the bottom of the fireplace. He held the pot out to his red headed friend first.

"You go first, but wait before you go any further" he said to Ron sternly.

Ron nodded as he took a handful of the green powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"The Three Broomsticks" he said clearly as he threw the powder into the grate. Green flames engulfed him, in a second, he was gone. Harry took his own handful of powder. Stepping into the hearth, he had one last thought of Ginny and prepared himself for the familiar feeling that came along with flooing. He threw the powder down and announced clearly his destination then closed his eyes as the green flames also engulfed him and sent him through the network to "The Three Broomsticks".

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron brushed himself off of dust and soot once he had climbed to his feet in the Hogsmeade pub. He was just wiping the last bit off when Harry came tumbling through the fireplace, knocking him over in the process.

"OUCH! Harry, gerrofme!" Ron shouted, causing a few of the drinkers to look up from their tables. A few tables muttered and whispered to each other as they recognised the two young boys.

Ron and Harry quickly took to their surroundings. The Three Broomsticks wasn't as busy as they were used to seeing, and instead of the normal midday jolly atmosphere. The witches and wizards that sat around were mulling over their drinks, it was actually quite depressing.

They decided to ask the landlady, Madame Rosmerta, if she had seen Hermione and the two boys that night, to which she apologised and told them that they hadn't passed through, but they were welcome to ask some of her customers if they had seen or heard anything. Not wanting to draw more attention to themselves, they declined the offer.

They made their way outside, both wincing at the bitter cold wind that blew around them and they both silently wished they had come out a bit more prepared.

"So where do we go now?" Harry asked, teeth chattering.

"We could apparate, but there's always the chance that we'll land directly in front of them and then we'll all be killed" answered Ron.

"Didn't Viktor say that there was a little pub not far from the school?" Harry remembered.

"OK, so we'll floo there, it's bound to be on the network right".

Harry nodded and started in the direction of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

"Harry wait, if the twins are there, they'll want to come as well"

"Well, that's a chance I'm willing to take, how about you?"" Ron didn't reply, instead, he grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him along to the joke shop.

------------------------------------------------------------------

As Hermione stirred, she could've sworn that she could hear dripping. '_It must be raining outside. But Hogwarts never have leaks'_.

Just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt a full splash of cold water hit her face.

"What the…" her eyes flung open and she tried to take in her surroundings. This was not an easy task however as the water that had hit her was now dripping from her eyelashes. She moved to wipe her eyes with her hands, but realised that she couldn't move them.

"Finally, I was beginning to think you'd never wake up". The voice that had spoken was cold and full of disgust.

The events of that day came flooding back to her and she realised who was talking to her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked disgustedly as her vision began to clear and she could see for the first time where she was being held.

It looked to be a normal sitting room. There was a sofa, a small coffee table and a tall unit which held dozens of photos. Looking closer at the room she was in, she noticed that the sofa and coffee table had a weathered look about them, the only light available was that of the moonlight shining through a large hole in the wall. She looked again at the photos on the unit, but through the darkness, she couldn't quite make out who the occupants were.

"Hermione, you're awake. I was starting to worry" another voice said from the doorway.

"That's very considerate of you, Jacob!" she spat out sarcastically, stressing his real name.

"I didn't want it to come this, but you really left me with no other choice, you never would have come of your own accord" he explained.

"To do what?" Hermione asked.

Jake was about to answer when Malfoy stepped in.

"You don't need to know anything, MUDBLOOD"

"Don't call her that" Jake snapped angrily at Malfoy.

"Why not? You called me it. Or is it a possession thing? You get to do or say anything you want to me, but as soon as someone else does it, they're wrong" She was trying to get him angry, she knew him well enough to know that if he was pushed enough, he'd tell her anything.

"You know why I called you that. I had just found you with… him" he was of course, referring to Ron. "Anyway, I thought you'd be used to being treated that way. Isn't that what you and him do?"

Hermione couldn't argue that point, it was true. She and Ron drove each other crazy and they could be so mean to one another, but they were also the first ones to stick up for the other.

Malfoy took advantage of the break in conversation and ordered Jake back outside to wait for the other Death Eaters.

Once he and Hermione were alone again, he wasted no time in taunting the dark haired witch.

"I bet that it's killing you that you were fooled, especially when Weasel was warning you all along. Of course, your arrogance and hypocrisy led us to tonight. So it's really all your fault that Krum died. They'll die too, and I'll take great pleasure in being the one to kill your precious Weasel"

"What makes you think he won't get to you first?"

Malfoy chuckled at this.

"Oh please. Like he could. You know, you really disappoint me Granger, for the brightest witch in over a century, I would have expected you to have some idea of who owns the most power now."

"You don't have power, not real power anyway. You have money and that can't buy everything"

"It can buy enough!" Malfoy sneered.

"What is that you're waiting for, Malfoy. Why don't you kill me now if that's what you really want?"

"What do you think we're waiting for Granger?" he stared at her intently, daring her to realise the plan.

"Harry!" Hermione said after a while. "You're waiting for Harry. What are you going to do, bring Voldermort back using Harry's blood? That's already been done and Harry killed him again. What do you think is going to happen this time?" she asked tauntingly.

"You silly, silly girl" Malfoy smiled, "We don't just want his blood, and once we've got what we need from him, there won't be much left of the boy who lived. So there will be no-one left to defeat my lord. And you'll be praying for death when he comes back"

Hermione looked uncomfortable with this information. "So you don't intend on killing me then?" She asked, the shock she felt was only a little evident in her voice.

"Fortunately for you, Jacob loves you and you're part of the deal" Malfoy said this in such a disgusted tone, as if he couldn't fathom the thought that someone like her

could be loved. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual.

"What deal?" Hermione asked angrily.

Malfoy smirked. He loved it that he could get under Hermione's skin, knowing something that she didn't.

"Wouldn't you like to know. But you'll find out soon enough, once everyone gets here".

---------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Jacob was waiting on the front porch, a few moments ago, the Death Eaters had arrived and he had sent them into the forest at the end of the garden. It was where everything would take place, and he knew that Harry and Ron wouldn't be much longer, therefore, the Death Eaters had to prepare for the ritual.

He had set up a barrier that would detect any visitors, unfortunately, this involved someone having to sit outside and watch for the change in colour around the barrier. He didn't see why it had to be him. Why did Draco get to be the one to stay with Hermione? He could hear them talking, or rather Hermione shouting. He hated putting her through this, he really did, but there was really no other way.

The ritual they would have to perform had to involve love. So once they had Harry, Jake and Hermione would give up some of their blood, by doing this, it would provide the factor that would make his father indestructible, or at least it would have done had Hermione truly loved him back.

That was where Ron came into it. Initially, Jacob saw Ron and Hermione's love for each other as a huge problem for the ritual. It had actually turned out to be the perfect solution. Jacob's blood was needed anyway; this would start off the ritual. He and Voldermort shared blood, the same as Voldermort needing a part of his muggle father to resurrect him last time.

Next would be Hermione's blood. This would form the love connection, but it wouldn't be enough just to have Jacob's love. So they would need the blood of the one Hermione loved and who in turn loved her back, then bringing in the fact that Ron and Jacob hated each other, it would be the perfect basis of the ritual, combining love and hate.

Then of course, there was Harry. The most important piece of the puzzle. Harry owned a part of Voldermorts soul. He chuckled at the thought. Harry and Dumbledore had been searching for months for the remaining Horcruxes, he only had 2 left to find, and unknown to everyone but Jacob and now Malfoy, there was always a Horcrux right under their noses, Harry himself.

Jacob looked up suddenly at the sound of whirring. He looked at the barrier that he had put up. Instead of its calm opal colour, it was starting to burn slightly pink, the gradually it got darker and darker. Smiling to himself, he called to Malfoy. In a second, Hermione and Malfoy were at his side. The two wizards grabbed Hermione's arms and carried her away into the forest.

They were almost at the edge of the forest when Jacob turned back round to face the barrier, just in time to see it turn a deep red and 2 figures step out into the garden.

This was it, the night he had been working towards for a whole year, and for the first time in that year, he felt fear. Fear of not succeeding, fear of succeeding and what would happen to him and Hermione once the night was over. Either way, he couldn't deny that this was the most important night of his life.

He saw Harry and Ron turn toward the forest, Harry pointed in his direction, he must have seen him. They began running towards him.

"Showtime!" Jacob smiled as he turned back round and made his way deeper into the forest.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After Harry and Ron passed through the barrier, the first thing they saw was a small broken down house in the middle of a field. The field was overgrown with weeds and grass, and it looked like it hadn't been tended to in months.

"This looks like the place" Ron stated as they both looked around.

"THERE!" Harry pointed over to a clearing at the entrance to the forest as Ron looked to where Harry was pointing. He saw 2 men run into the forest. One with silver hair, the other dark.

"Let's go!" Ron growled, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him towards the forest.

"Ron, wait. What if Hermione's in the house? Don't you think we should get her first?" Harry urged, trying his best to stop Ron.

"No, if she's at the house, she won't get caught up in this. I don't want to put her in any more danger than she already is". And with that, they both ran towards the forest.

They had walked through the forest for 15 minutes before they finally caught up with Malfoy and Jake, and the sight in front of them shot panic right through them.

Standing before them were 6 Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov and Lucius Malfoy.

Bella had a tight hold on Hermione and Jake and Draco Malfoy were standing either side of her.

"Glad to see you finally decided to join us" Jake said as he removed something from his robe pocket.

It was an Athamae, one of the oldest ritualistic weapons in history. Hermione made eye contact with Ron to show that she wasn't hurt, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't disguise the fear in her eyes.

"Let her go!" Ron demanded. Jake sniggered in response.

"If you want her… come get her" he instructed, pulling her away from the female Death Eater.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled, shaking her head at him when he looked back at her.

"It's a trap Ron, don't do it" Harry said through gritted teeth so as not to be heard.

Ron turned angrily towards his friend and glared at him, only to soften slightly when he recognised the determined look on Harry's face. He stepped back and Harry informed him of his plan, talking only loud enough for Ron to hear. During their 6th year, Harry had learnt a number of wandless and non-verbal spells; he had also been able to channel his initial power with the power of the spells.

Ron stepped away from Harry after nodding his agreement and understanding of the plan.

"You see Potter, you're the star of the show. We couldn't very well start without you now could we?"

"And what is it that you're planning on doing exactly, resurrecting your pitiful excuse of a father?"

"At least I can resurrect my father, which is more than I can say for you" Jake spat hatefully.

Harry tried not to show how much the comment had hurt him.

"If you need me, then let Hermione go" Jake merely smirked at the suggestion.

"Sorry, can't do that either. You see, I need all of you." He didn't bother to explain any further than that, Harry didn't give him the chance to.

Checking to make sure that Ron was in position, he had slowly edged his way closer to where Hermione, Jake and Malfoy stood, Harry gripped onto his wand without pulling it out of his pocket, he looked at one of the Death Eaters and concentrated on merging his power with the spell.

"Levicorpus".

As he said the words in his head, the Death Eater he had been looking at let out a sudden cry of surprise as he was whirled upside down, then a quick swish of Harry's wand, the Death Eater flew across the forest and slammed, head first into the trunk of a tree, sliding down and landing on the floor in a heap.

The distraction allowed Ron to jump into action. He too pulled his wand out and aimed it at Bellatrix.

"STUPEFY" he bellowed and Lestrange was sent flying through the air and fell to the floor stunned.

Harry quickly went to work on a third Death Eater, disarming him with "Expelliarmus" and Ron jumped in with a leg-locker curse.

"Start the ritual" the 2 boys heard one of the men yell.

Before he could react, Ron was grabbed from behind by Dolohov. As Dolohov was 4 times the size of him, he was finding it impossible to get away. At the same time, Lucius Malfoy grabbed Hermione from behind.

Harry was oblivious to what was happening around him, he was busy fighting off the fourth Death Eater. As curses flew every which way, Jake hurried over to where Ron and Hermione were trying to struggle free. Jake held out his arm, lifted up the knife and sliced a large slit in his arm, drawing blood instantly. He held his arm over a pentagram which Ron had not noticed when they first arrived.

As soon as his blood had stopped dripping freely over the pentagram, Jake stepped to Hermione whose arm was being held out ready for him. Again, he lifted the knife and sliced along her arm, repeating what he had done with his own arm a few seconds before. He then moved to Ron, although this wasn't going to be as easy as it was Hermione as Ron was still struggling against his captives. Seeing the struggle, Lucius tossed Hermione aside. She hit her head against a tree stump, knocking her unconscious. Lucius then grabbed Ron's other arm and held it over the pentagram, which by this time, was burning green, and Jake dug the Athamae into Ron's skin more forcefully than he had himself and Hermione. The cut ran deeper than the other 2 and so the blood flowed thickly and quickly into the Pentagram causing it to burn a bright electric blue.

Dolohov let go of Ron just as Jake headed over to Hermione, picking her up and carried her away from the scene and into the forest. Ron jumped over the pentagram and made to follow them but was stopped in his tracks by Draco Malfoy.

"Going somewhere Weasel?" he asked snidely.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Ron roared defiantly.

Malfoy ignored him.

"I've waited 7 years to do this, oh, but it will be worth it" Malfoy raised his wand, but before he had a chance to say anything,

Ron cut him off with a punch to the jaw and they both fell to the ground, rolling about, fists flying in every direction.

Harry, meanwhile, had just knocked out the fourth Death Eater but was being stalked by Lucius Malfoy and Dolohov. He glanced over to Ron and saw the glowing Pentagram. He didn't know exactly what it was, but he somehow knew that he had to stay as far away from it as possible.

Ron now had the upper hand in his fight with Malfoy. He had him pinned to the floor and was throwing punch after punch to Draco's face and ribs. He could barely make out Harry's frantic cries for back up, but Ron was finding it impossible to tear himself from the Slytherin. Seven years of pent up frustration and anger was coming out all in one go.

"Ron, leave him and help me" Harry screamed again. With one last punch to Malfoy's head, Ron knocked his enemy unconscious and managed to make his way over to Harry.

It was now two on two, or at least it would have been had the 2 Death Eaters not been intent on getting Harry over to the glowing Pentagram.

"Ron, help me!" he cried again.

Ron stood motionless for a second. He felt so helpless; he didn't know how to help Harry. He could send a curse toward them, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn't hit Harry in the process.

Finally though, Harry had managed to wriggle free by elbowing Dolohov in the stomach, he lunged forward, bringing Lucius Malfoy down with him. Dolohov grabbed Harry's feet and started pulling him. Malfoy was now on his hands and knees ready to stand.

Ron suddenly plunged back into action. Picking up a branch that had fallen when the first Death Eater had slammed into the tree, he whacked it against Lucius' skull. Ron was sure he had heard the sound of wood cracking skull. The eldest Malfoy went down and Ron grabbed Harry's arms, pulling him toward him and away from Dolohov, who by this time was growling that this time, he'd succeed in killing the 2 wizards and their mudblood witch.

Ron looked at Harry pleadingly. He had vowed that he would make the burly Death Eater pay for what he did to Hermione. Harry looked back, wide eyed as if to tell Ron that he couldn't take on Dolohov alone. But then, after remembering how Ron had reacted at the end of fifth year, and how great his desire for revenge was, realised that Ron probably could take Dolohov. Sighing defeated, he nodded his permission.

Ron acknowledged this and smiled in thanks as he let Harry go.

Harry swiftly turned his body and kicked at Dolohov, knocking him slightly backwards. Ron raised his wand at Dolohov and shouted confidently "Impedimenta". This knocked Dolohov back even more.

"Avada Kedavra!" Dolohov went down, lifeless. But it wasn't Ron or Harry who had performed the killing curse. They turned to face the voice behind them and saw Jake standing there.

"Useless piece of crap" Jake stated as if that was reason enough to kill him.

Ron and Harry weren't sure if Jake realised that he had just killed the last remaining conscious Death Eater.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron demanded.

Jake smirked an evil grin.

"Oh, I took care of that little problem. Don't worry about that. Right now, we have to finish the ritual. Are you ready Potter?"

Ron stepped forward, standing in front of Jake, blocking off his view of Harry.

"Where is she?" he asked again, more forcefully than the last time he asked.

"Oh relax, she's alive. I couldn't very well marry her if she wasn't now could I!" Jake said snidely.

Ron and Jake continued to swap snide comments while Harry watched on.

"I'm prepared to let you go Weasley, just let me take Potter and you can live your life in peace. At least for as long as I can hold my father off anyway. Which of course, wouldn't be very long."

"I won't sacrifice my friends. Now where is she?" Ron yelled this time and shoved Jake backwards.

Jake immediately regained his balance and in an instant, his wand was poking into Ron's chest.

"You've caused too many problems, Weasley. I gave you your chance, now it's too late. "AVADA…."

"IMPEDIMENTIA!" a high pitched scream sounded through the rapidly darkening forest. Jake stumbled backwards, tripping over a tree stump and fell back into the pentagram. He let out a shriek of pain as flames rose up and engulfed him. At exactly the same time, Harry collapsed to the ground, holding his head and screaming in agony, clutching at his scar.

Ron was stuck where he was, for some reason, he couldn't move, all he could do was watch as Jake writhed and twisted in pain. He barely noticed the figure that quickly shot past him and dropped down in front of Harry.

"Hermione!" Ron mumbled, suddenly realising that she was the one that had flew past him. "HERMIONE" He called louder this time and he went to run to her.

The flames surrounding the pentagram exploded and then hissed away, knocking the three friends to the floor.

Harry's pain subsided and he quickly crawled back to his knees, pulling Hermione with him.

Ron was trying to get back up, his hand rubbing the back of his head after hitting the cold hard ground.

Jake stepped out of the Pentagram coolly, not showing an ounce of emotion. He looked around and spotting Harry and Hermione, walked over to them. Hermione stood up bravely and looked up at him.

"Jake?" she asked shakily.

"Jake's gone, thanks to you. He really wasn't up to the task I set him. He was foolish enough to believe I'd let you live" he smirked coldly, shaking his head.

"Voldermort" Harry moaned in realisation.

"Hello again Harry. Hope you've been well" Voldermort sneered, looking down on his nemesis.

It was at this time that Draco Malfoy made another appearance. He jumped and tackled Ron back to the floor, wanting to get him back for the earlier beating he had received from the red head.

"Hermione, get away!" he tried to yell. It was no use; the words came out in a strangled cry and didn't make any kind of sentence.

"If you want Harry, you'll have to go through me!" Hermione said bravely, mirroring what she had said back in the shrieking shack in their third year to Sirius Black.

"Mmmm, not a problem" Voldermort hummed and whacked Hermione across the chest with such force, she was sent flying through the air. She hit a tree with a loud thud and a cry of pain, then she slid down the tree and landed at the base of the tree, face first in the dirt.

"NOOOO" Harry and Ron screamed simultaneously.

Voldermort laughed and Harry got to his feet, launching himself at the dark wizard. Ron pushed Malfoy off him and ran to Hermione. He didn't reach her however, as before he could, he was pulled away by a new visitor.

"Get off of me" he yelled as he turned to punch the person that had grabbed him from behind. He stopped just in time to see Remus Lupin.

"Don't! Dumbledore's handling it" Lupin growled into Ron's ear.

Ron watched as Dumbledore appeared and rushed to Harry's side. He had never seen Dumbledore so angry and determined before. It actually scared him a little bit. But Ron wasn't trying to get to Harry, he was trying to get to Hermione. But Lupin was holding him so tightly, he could barely move.

"Must be the werewolf strength" Ron thought absently to himself. He wouldn't give up struggling though. He needed to get to Hermione.

The head master pulled Harry away from Voldermort, yelling at him to finish it. It all happened so quickly, it was almost a blur. Dumbledore threw curse after curse at Voldermort including "Crucio". He was so relentless, Voldermort was rendered helpless. He then held Voldermort in place, pushing down on his shoulders. Displaying far too much strength possible for a man his age.

Harry stood and looked deep into Voldermorts eyes.

"It'll never be over Harry. I'll never truly be gone, no matter how many times we go through this. I'm a part of you Harry. As long as you live. I'm there" Voldermort croaked through gritted teeth.

"Harry" Dumbledore warned again.

Harry looked up at Dumbledore then back down to Voldermort, he raised his wand and said very clearly

"Avada Kedavra".

Jets of bright green lights shot from Harry's wand and hit Voldermort square in the chest and he flew back, landing on the ground in a crumpled heap. Once again, Harry had defeated Lord Voldermort.

As soon as Voldermort crumpled, Lupin let go of Ron, who wasted no time in rushing over to Hermione's side. He rolled her over and pulled her up into his arms. She whimpered as he did so and held her stomach tightly.

"Hermione? Hermione, come on love, wake up, please" Ron whimpered.

Harry sat down on the other side of her and took hold of the hand that was gripping her stomach. She let out a cry of pain and both boys looked down to where she was holding. They gasped in horror. A large patch of blood was staining her once white t-shirt.

Ron lifted the bottom of the shirt up and moaned "No, no, no, no" when he saw the wound. It was a rather large and deep hole, and it was bleeding profusely.

Harry looked up at the tree and saw a sharp piece of broken trunk sticking out. She must have hit it when Voldermort hit her. It must have gone through her when she hit it.

He glanced over at Ron who was shaking his head and looked like he was about to throw up. Tears were streaming down his face. Harry then looked back down at Hermione. If it was possible, she was paler than Ron, and she was shaking. Harry lifted his hand to her forehead to brush the hair out of her eyes. She felt so cold. But how could that be? She was sweating.

"Hermione. Hang on, please" Ron begged.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at the two boys. Her best friends. Harry, the brother she never had, and Ron, the boy she loved more than anything else in the whole world. She forced a smile at them.

"Hey, is it over?" she asked, gritting her teeth through the pain. Harry nodded. "Oh, good. I knew you could it". She coughed.

Remus and Dumbledore bent down next to Harry.

"We can't move her, the injury is too severe. I have to go alert a Medi-wizard and bring them here. Keep her awake and put pressure on the wound, it'll help the bleeding. I won't be long". Dumbledore said kindly and he disappeared with a loud crack. Lupin stayed behind.

"What are they talking about? I'm fine" Hermione asked stubbornly. She lifted her head slightly and looked down at her abdomen at the hole.

"Oh, that's rather deep" she remarked dismissively and she let her head fall back into Ron's arms.

"It's going to be ok, Mione. I promise, everything will be fine" Ron stammered, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes.

"No, it's not. I'm dying" she stated matter of factly.

"You're not dying Hermione. You're stronger than any of us, you can survive this" Harry said sternly.

Hermione turned her head to face him.

"Harry, I'm the brightest witch in over a century. I know if I'm dying or not, now listen to me" Harry couldn't help but smile at her stubbornness, even in her current situation.

"Harry, listen. I need to tell you this before it's too late" she paused to catch her breath. "You're amazing. You are such a special person and I am so lucky to have met you. It hasn't always been fun, granted, but you are the best friend a girl could ever ask for. I always wanted a brother, I never told you that, but I got one when I met you. Harry, you have the power to do anything. You've saved the world 3 times now, and although you brood a little too much, you've accepted your fate and dealt with it. And you managed to find love in the process. Ginny is the best thing to ever happen to you and you must remember that and never let her go. You hear me?".

Harry smiled, wiping at his eyes angrily, "I hear you".

Hermione nodded and blinked away her own tears, then looked up at Ron. "And what can I say about you" She joked, wincing as another bout of pain shot through her.

Ron smiled weakly. "I drive you crazy?" he joked back, his voice cracking.

Hermione smiled again.

"Yes, you do. You drive me insane. But I love you for it. And I love you for a whole number of reasons as well. For example, the way you defend me, the way you'll argue with me when you think you're right and I'm wrong, which I never am by the way." She suppressed a laugh which only caused her to cough. "I love your innocence. I know you don't think it's there anymore, but it is, I see it. You're fiercely loyal and proud of your family and friends. You don't think you're as good as the rest of your brothers, but you're just as great, if not more so. You've stuck with Harry the whole time, even when you didn't have to. You faced all your fears and I am so proud of you. You are capable of anything, you could do whatever you wanted"

Ron shook his head as tears continued to stream down his cheeks.

"Sshh, save your energy. Help will be here soon." He brushed that stray lock of hair out of her eyes, the one he fiddled with whenever they had kissed. She started to cough uncontrollably, tears were now leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

Ron carefully wiped the tears away and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

Leaning into his touch and closing her eyes, she said:

"I've waited so long for you to hold me, I just can't believe this is all I get. God, I wish I had told you sooner, then we wouldn't be here. I'm so sorry I put you both through this" Harry squeezed her hand.

"It's not your fault, it would've happened anyway".

Hermione shook her head in disagreement. "I could've stopped it"

"No, you couldn't have. You know what they're like once they've got an idea in their idea in their heads" this time, it was Ron who spoke up.

"Still arguing with me I see?" Hermione shot back, a hint of a smile playing across her lips.

"Always" he replied, almost as a promise.

Hermione chuckled, but immediately regretted it as a huge bout of pain erupted inside of her, she yelled in agony and Ron instinctively gripped her tighter to him.

She looked up to him again and tried her best to speak through the pain.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Ron, you really should get some sleep. You haven't been back to Hogwarts in days" Harry said as he walked through the hospital wing. It had been 3 days since the battle with Voldermort.

Hermione had been severely injured and had yet to regain consciousness. Ron had not left her side at the hospital bed. He thought she had died and it had terrified him more than he ever could have imagined. The pain he felt when she went limp in his arms and her breathing became shallow was indescribable.

But the Medi-wizards at St. Mungo's had fought to save her, fortunately, Dumbledore had reached help just in time.

"I'm fine. I've slept abit" Ron replied gruffly.

Harry knew this was a lie. Ron had not spent more than 10 minutes away from Hermione.

"You should still get back, even for a couple of hours. I know Sarah wants to see you" Harry sat down in the seat on the other side of her bed.

"I forgot about her" Ron admitted guiltily as he plonked back down onto his seat. "What if she wakes up while I'm not here, what if something happens and I'm not …." He couldn't even bring himself to say it.

"Nothing will happen, and if she wakes up, I'll send for you straight away" Harry assured him, "Look, Hermione would tell you the same thing, do you want her to be mad at you when she wakes up?"

Ron rolled his eyes.

"That one won't work this time Harry. I'm not leaving her" he snapped.

"Ok, fine, but your girlfriend is sat in the common room right now, wondering if you still want to be with her or not. At least go and show her that you're fine. She's been worried sick".

Ron let out a deep breath and stood up. He knew that Harry was right. He hadn't been fair in not letting her know how he was but Hermione was more important than that.

"Fine, but if she wakes up…"

"I'll let her know that you've been here the whole time and haven't left her side." Harry smiled.

Ron nodded and thanked Harry, bending over Hermione and planting a light kiss on her cheek.

"I'll see you soon" he whispered, then left the hospital wing.

Harry watched Ron leave the room then turned back to Hermione and held her hand, stroking his thumb over her dry knuckles.

"Please wake up Mione. We need you. He needs you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah and Ginny sat alone in the common room; Ginny had been trying to cheer Sarah up. She hadn't seen Ron in 3 days. She knew that he was ok, and she knew that naturally, he'd want to make sure that Hermione was ok, but he hadn't even tried to talk to her.

Ginny had ordered Harry to relieve Ron from hospital duty and force him to come back to Hogwarts.

"Do you remember our first trip to Hogsmeade? When Fred and George…"

"Hey Sarah, Ginny" Ron cut in.

"Is Hermione awake?" Sarah asked quickly, fearing the worst.

Ron opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it again and shook his head.

"Sorry" she whispered.

"Is there any change at least?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"No. she's still sleeping. Harry's with her now. He said he'd let me … us know if there was".

Ginny nodded.

"Ok, well, I'm gonna go to bed. I'll see you in the morning" she hugged Sarah, then Ron, wishing him luck as she squeezed him tightly.

Ron and Sarah stood just looking at one another, neither sure of what to say, both too scared to speak first. Finally, Ron broke the silence.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner."

"It's ok, I understand. You're ok though? I mean, you know, are you ok?" She said nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A few bruises, but nothing big".

Sarah nodded, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Do you want to sit down?" she asked as she sat down on the couch, holding her hand out, waiting for him to join her. He finally did, but still remained silent. She couldn't handle it any longer. She had to say something, anything, but the silence was killing her.

"So, Snape gave us an impossible assignment. 5 feet on the differences between a vampire and a werewolf. He only gave us two days to do it as well."

"I bet he gives the Slytherin's an extension. They've got a match this weekend" Ron replied dismissively.

"I'm glad you came back"

"Sarah…" Ron tried to cut in, sucking in a very deep breath.

"No, I know why you didn't, and I'm not mad, you should be there with her. I just … I needed to know that you were alright, I wanted to talk to you." Her voice was shaky now.

"Yeah, I know. I guess we really need to talk about some stuff don't we?" Sarah looked away, not wanting Ron to see the pain in her eyes.

"We don't have to do this now though. I mean, we can wait until morning" he told her.

"You might not be here in the morning!" Sarah replied, wincing at the bitterness in her own voice. "We should talk now, before you have to go again". A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. "Merlin, I am so sorry. I don't want to be like this, but I can't help it. I'm sorry that she's in the hospital, but I need you here with me, and I know that you won't be" she cried regretfully, letting the tears flow freely down her face.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ron didn't know what to say. He knew that Sarah wasn't a bad person, she deserved to have the things she wanted, but he could never be the one to give them to her.

"Did anything happen between you two while we were together?" It was a valid question, and she had every right to ask it. He had to tell her the truth; she deserved his honest answer at the very least.

"Yes. I don't even know how it happened. It just did" he admitted.

Sarah nodded slowly.

"Was it just the once?" she was almost too scared to ask it.

"No" Ron shook his head "She kissed me in the forest, before she passed out. But please don't blame her. We thought she was going to… I thought I was going to lose her."

"Something happened the night she broke up with Jake didn't it?" She had regained her composure now; she just wanted to know the truth.

"Yes. But it was only ever kissing. I swear it never went any further than that" He insisted.

"And when you did kiss, who kissed who?"

"The first time, I kissed her. The night she broke up with him, I don't know. One minute we were talking, the next we were…, you know. I'm so sorry Sarah. I never meant for any of this to happen, and I really did want things to work out for us".

Sarah raised one hand to stop Ron talking.

"It's ok. It's not as if I didn't know what I was getting myself into". She stood up; ready to make a quick exit so she wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness of breaking up.

"I'm sorry about Hermione. I'm praying for her to get through this. And when she wakes up, tell her that I can't wait to study with her again." She smiled, "Take care of her Ron. And don't be afraid to go for it. She loves you too."

Ron nodded and smiled.

"We can still be friends though, right?" he asked hopefully.

"I think Hermione will see to it that we are". Sarah chuckled.

"Yeah" Ron sniggered.

"Goodnight Ron"

"Night Sarah". And then she left him sitting in the common room on his own. After a little while, he decided that he wasn't going to get much sleep, so he quickly had a shower, picked up some clean clothes and some of Hermione's school books, then headed off to Umbridge's office to floo back to the hospital.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within 15 minutes, Ron was back in the hospital and walking towards Hermione's room. Harry was still sitting by her side, holding her hand.

"Hey, any change?" Ron asked as he sat down in his original chair.

Harry shook his head.

"No. I thought you'd be gone longer than that" Harry said.

"I couldn't sleep, thought you might need some company" he lied.

"Umhmmm" Harry replied, not believing his friend. "Did you speak to Sarah?"

"Yeah" Ron sighed. "It was horrible"

"Did she cry? Was she mad?" Harry asked.

"She cried a little, but she wasn't mad. She was actually really nice. She knows about all the times I kissed Hermione"

"All the times you kissed Hermione?" Harry thought that the only time they kissed while Ron was with Sarah was in the forest.

"Yeah. Before she went to see Krum. And after she broke up with Jake. But Sarah told me to go for it though. She didn't shout or anything. I think I'd prefer it if she had" Ron admitted.

"Well, I think a game of chess will cheer you up a bit" Harry suggested.

"Isn't it a bit too noisy though?" Ron asked frowning.

Harry shrugged.

"Maybe it'll wake sleepy head here up".

They both grinned and set up the chess board on the table in the corner of Hermione's private hospital room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

After 2 hours of playing, and 3 intense games in which Harry almost beat Ron twice, they decided to quit and sit back with Hermione.

As Ron sat down, he picked up his bag from the chair and threw it down on the floor. A couple of the books he had picked up for Hermione earlier fell out. Harry spotted immediately and grinned wickedly.

"You are so whipped!" he exclaimed.

Ron blushed.

"I'm not the only one. I saw Ginny's homework in your bag yesterday" he retorted.

"Well, she's got a lot of homework and I haven't got any, so I'm just helping her out" Harry tried unsuccessfully as an excuse. "Anyway, you'd do the same for her" he teased, motioning to Hermione. Because of the ordeal the trio had gone through, Dumbledore had allowed them a break from classes.

"No I would not!" Ron cried.

"Oh really?" Harry asked, still grinning.

Ron was about to answer when a small, dry voice croaked;

"He hardly does his own, let alone anyone else's!"

They both snapped their heads towards Hermione. Harry called for the Medi-Witch straight away, whereas Ron practically pounced on Hermione.

"Are you ok? How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Can I get you anything?" he bombarded her with questions.

She stopped him finally and answered all his questions.

"Yes, fine, a bit groggy and sore, and no thank you" she answered smiling up at him as he stroked her forehead.

"I'm sorry. Were we too noisy?" he asked, worried that she'd be annoyed that they were so loud during chess.

"No. I've been awake for the last hour; I just wanted to watch you both. Good game by the way Harry" she smiled as Harry walked back into the room with the Medi-Witch.

"Hey… I beat him!" Ron exclaimed offended.

"But I had a good game!" Harry teased, earning him an angry glare from Ron.

The Medi-Witch ushered the two boys quickly out of the room so she could examine her. Shortly after, she came back out and declared that Hermione was ok, but she needed her rest so only one visitor was allowed until her Parents got there.

"Go ahead. I'll go back to Hogwarts and let them know she's awake. Tell her I'll see her later" Harry told his red haired best friend.

"What do I say to her Harry?" Ron asked looking down, "I mean, after everything that happened that night… and I'm not with Sarah anymore".

Harry grinned. He knew that Ron would panic when it came to this.

"You've been her best friend for 7 years, you'll find something to talk about" he patted Ron on the shoulder encouragingly. Ron sighed, but nodded determinedly and turned to go back in to see Hermione.

"Hello" Hermione greeted shyly when Ron walked over to her bed.

"Hello" he replied just as shyly. "Erm, Ha… Harry's gone back to school. He said he'll see you later" Ron stammered.

"You seem nervous" Hermione noticed, smiling.

"Hmmm" Ron sighed softly, "A little" he admitted. It was a couple of minutes before they spoke again.

"Erm, Ron. I'm sorry about what happened, and I just want you to know that Sarah won't hear anything about it".

"She knows". Ron shook his head.

Hermione's jaw dropped in shock.

"OH!" she looked down, biting her lip in worry.

"Don't worry. She's fine. We talked about things earlier."

"Is everything ok?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah, but we'll talk about it later" he breathed. "Are you sure you're ok?".

"Yes. I'll have to stay here for a few more days, but I'm ok. So you brought my books then?" Ron chuckled.

"Yeah. I thought you might need them. 3 days without any studying, you must be going mental" he smirked.

Hermione glared at him, trying to keep the smile that was pulling at her lips from showing. She completely forgot her attempt when his smirk turned into that lop-sided grin that melted her heart.

"It's good to have you back!" he said seriously.

"It was a close one wasn't it!" she trembled. Ron looked away; he didn't want her to see the pain reflected in his eyes.

"Ron" Hermione pressed.

"I thought I lost you" he replied shakily.

"I know. Me too. How are you both? Is Harry ok?"

"Yeah he's fine. You know Harry. He just wants to find all the Horcruxes so we never have to go through this again" he noticed her pained expression at his words and looked at her questioningly.

"I know where one of them is" she answered his silent question, remembering her conversation with Malfoy.

"You do? Where?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can't tell you". Ron looked hurt at this.

"Oh no, I mean, I will tell you, but I need to tell Harry first. There are a few things that he needs to know about his family". She said urgently.

"That he had an aunt and a cousin that he never knew about. We know. We saw what happened in the classroom and to Krum".

Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head, suppressing a sob. "God, poor Viktor" she said, her voice breaking and tears flooding down her cheeks.

Ron got up and sat on the bed next to her, pulling her into a hug. He continued to hold her until she cried all she needed to. And then he held her some more, more to convince himself that she was really there.

He was still holding her when the Grangers arrived. He pulled away from her and gently kissed her cheek, promising that he'd see her later.

On his way out, her parents stopped him. Mr Granger shook his hand and Mrs Granger gave him a quick hug to thank him for taking care of their daughter.

When he got back to Hogwarts, he decided to go straight up to bed. He really was tired and he hadn't slept properly for days. He had no doubt that now Hermione was awake, he'd be able to get a full nights sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ron definitely needed his sleep. This didn't stop Harry from being surprised that his best friend was still asleep at visiting hours the next day. Harry hadn't even been able to get anything from him when he tried to wake him up. So he went to St Mungos with Ginny instead.

When they arrived, Hermione was sitting up in bed with a fair selection of books scattered over her bed.

"Even in the hospital she can't stop studying" Joked Ginny as they appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah, you can thank your dear brother for that" Harry winked at Hermione as he said it.

"But I bet he wouldn't do Sarah's homework would he" Harry and Ginny looked confused at this.

"What?" Hermione asked noticing their confusion.

"Well, he wouldn't do her homework after they…"

"Erm, so your parents were here yesterday then?" Harry coughed and nudged Ginny.

"Yes" Hermione drawled, "After they what?".

Ginny looked at Harry wide eyed and shrugged, "Well I didn't know he didn't tell her did I!" She exclaimed.

Hermione was starting to get annoyed now.

"Tell me what Ginny. What's going on?".

Harry looked sternly at his girlfriend, then realising he had lost, whined defeated.

"They broke up. Ron told Sarah what happened between you two, or rather she asked and he answered, but she was going to finish it anyway".

Hermione sat back in her bed. "Why didn't he tell me? I would have been understanding. Does he think he can't talk to me about things like that?" she stressed in disbelief.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ok, look Hermione. It's not that he feels he can't talk to you about it. It's just… ok, you woke up yesterday and it's not as if he can just come out and say it"

"What Harry is trying to say is that the last time you saw him, you thought you were going to die and you were both declaring your undying love for each other. You know what he's like"

Ginny helped out her struggling boyfriend.

"I guess it isn't the best way to start a conversation is it" Hermione stated.

They sat for a while talking over that night and what had happened. Hermione told them what Draco had said about Harry being a Horcrux, which of course, he didn't take too well. Ginny almost had to wrestle him to the ground in order to stop him from leaving the hospital.

"Ginny, get off me. We have to deal with this. I have to see Dumbledore"

"Harry, you don't have to do this now. Just relax." Ginny urged.

"So that's why they were trying to get me in that pentagram thing then" Harry said bitterly.

"Yes. But as Jake was Voldermorts son, you weren't needed".

Harry huffed. "But now that Jake's dead, they're going to come after me again".

Harry, you and Ron killed 4 Death Eaters, Jake killed one and the Malfoy's are in Azkaban. It's going to be a while before they get out" Hermione tried to reassure him.

"So in the meantime, I have to carry on walking around with a piece of him inside of me. That's just great Hermione" he yelled.

"Harry, keep your voice down and don't yell at her, it's not her fault. And stop being so over dramatic. You've lived with it for 17 years, so don't act as if anything has changed" Ginny growled angrily at him.

Hermione was amazed that Ginny could Harry down like that. She had seen Mrs Weasley talk to Mr Weasley like that and briefly wondered if Ron would be like that. She couldn't imagine him backing down like that, and in truth, she didn't want him to. One of the things she loved so dearly about him was the way he challenged her. Maybe now that he and Sarah had broken up, she'd finally get her chance to find out.

"Hermione... are you ok?" Harry asked, sounding concerned.

"Hmmm? Oh yes, I'm fine. Just thinking" she replied.

"About what? I was calling you for ages"

"Who do you think she was thinking about?" Ginny giggled.

Hermione glared at her young friend.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to school now?" she asked in mock annoyance.

Ginny laughed again.

"Yeah, we should. Come on Harry. We'll see you in a couple of days or so" Ginny said as she hugged Hermione goodnight.

"You're not coming tomorrow?" Hermione pouted.

"Nope, it's Ron's turn" Harry smiled.

"On his own?" Hermione looked panicked. "Harry, you have to come as well. Or send Neville or Luna, or… Lavender Brown even, just please don't send Ron on his own"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"They can't enough of each other when they're seeing someone else, but as soon as they're both single," Harry retorted.

"Mione, you'll be fine, just be yourself" Ginny said, slapping Harry's arm for being cheeky.

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if he decides that he doesn't like me?" Ginny stifled a laugh.

"He's had since third year to realise whether he likes you or not. If he was going to change his mind, trust me he would have done by now."

"Gee, Thanks Harry" Hermione retorted sarcastically.

"Oh you know what I mean. We'll see you soon" and then he hugged her and pulled Ginny out of the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"So what time are we going to see Hermione tonight?" Ron asked as he and Harry made their way to Defence Against Dark Arts class.

"_We're_ not going… you are" Harry replied slyly.

"But I can't go on my own" Ron cried.

"Ron, you spent most of your time there alone"

"Yeah, but that was when she was asleep. I'll have to talk to her now." Harry ignored him once they got to the classroom and sat down in their usual seats.

"Harry, you have to come… Please?" he begged.

"She wants to see you, and you've got to talk to her sometime. You're going on your own and you are going to sort this out." Harry told him, letting Ron that that was final.

The day passed very quickly again for Ron. Before he knew it, he was being dragged down to Umbridge's Office to the floo network. He had spent most of the day begging and pleading for someone to go with him. He had even asked Sarah to go with him. However, Ginny had already spoken to her and warned her that he might do that, so she declined his offer, no matter how much she wanted to visit Hermione.

He had even contemplated hiding somewhere for the night. But Ginny was his sister and she knew exactly what he was thinking of doing and she had met him outside his last class.

And so here he was, standing in the fireplace. Harry wasn't even allowed to let Ron have the floo powder, just in case Ron said somewhere else.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked grinning.

"NO!" replied Ron glumly.

"Good". Harry threw the powder at Ron's feet and said loud and clear; "St Mungos Hospital".

The last thing Ron saw before he was whirled away was Harry and Ginny smirking evilly, he made a silent promise to himself that he'd get them back later for making him do this.

**A/N-** _And_ _you thought I had killed Hermione! There's one more chapter left, and I just wanted to thank everyone again for giving this story a chance and reading it. All your reviews have been unbelievably appreciated. I love you all. _


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Hermione was sitting in the waiting room when Ron arrived.

Ginny had sent her an owl telling her that they would all be arriving around 4:30pm, so, frustrated with staring at the same four walls for hours on end, she decided to meet them.

She was more than a little nervous about seeing Ron, but Ginny had said that she'd be there as well, so she had nothing to worry about.

She watched the fireplace as the flames turned green and parted to make way for the new arrival. Her breath quickened when Ron stepped out nervously.

She tried to hide in the corner while she waited for the others to come, but soon realised that they weren't coming when Ron stepped up to the reception desk and signed himself in.

Once he had signed in, Ron began to look around the room just in case Hermione had taken a walk and decided to meet him. He wondered if she knew it was just going to be him visiting her tonight or whether Harry and Ginny had tricked her too.

After another quick scan of the room, he turned to head down to her room, ignoring the voice that was screaming for him to go back to Hogwarts. They did have to get this whole thing sorted out, and he guessed that here was as good a place as any. After all, if he hacked her off again and she became violent, they were already in a hospital.

He didn't get too far down the hall when he heard someone call him from behind.

"Ron! Over here." Hermione had watched him scan the waiting area, and as much as she was dreading the inevitable conversation they were going to have, she couldn't let him get to her room, then start worrying about where she was. She called out to him, waving as he turned around to face her. He returned the wave somewhat awkwardly. It relaxed her a bit to see that he was nervous too.

"Hey. How come you're out of bed?" he asked, his nerves evident in his voice.

"The Medi-Witch told me I'm getting out tomorrow. I'm almost healed so I'm allowed to walk around, Thank Merlin. I was starting to go crazy." Hermione explained. Ron chuckled and nodded.

"So do you, erm, want to stay here or go back to, erm, your room?" Ron asked her, worried that she still needed to take it easy. He saw her hesitate at the mention of her room though, so he tried to give her another choice. "Or we could just walk around"

"Oh, it's ok. We can go back to my room, if you want, I don't mind" Hermione replied.

"I definitely want to" Ron answered a little too quickly, he shook his head as they both blushed furiously. "Erm, what I mean is that we need to talk and we should do it in private, erm, you know, talk" he gulped, turning paler by the second.

They walked along side by side in silence the whole way back to her room, only breaking the silence to apologise for bumping into the other.

Once they entered the room and sat down, it was a while before either of them said a word.

"So!" Ron breathed out finally, "Harry's a Horcrux then, who saw that coming?" Ron said flippantly.

"Yes. Sorry I didn't tell you, but I had to tell Harry and you weren't here yesterday" she apologised.

"It's ok. I was asleep most of the day anyway."

"Well, you did need your sleep. From what I hear, you didn't sleep much while I was unconscious… Thank you for staying with me" she said sincerely, placing her hand over his affectionately. Ron looked down at their hands and blushed again.

"Anytime. Just don't make a habit of it. Ok?"

"Ok" Hermione laughed.

And once again, they were silent.

Hermione caught Ron stealing quick glances up at her and vice versa. Each time they shared a shy smile and chuckled.

"Sarah and I broke up!" Ron blurted out. He had been dying to say it, but at the same time, wished that he would never have to.

"I know. Ginny kind of let it slip. Are you ok?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We're still gonna be friends, so that's good. And she can't wait to see you again. She said she's missing her study partner."

"She's going to kill me isn't she!" Hermione grimaced.

"No, she isn't. Honestly, she's fine. She wants to be your friend. She was actually really worried that you wouldn't want to be."

"Maybe I should talk to her, Tell her that I didn't mean to do it. Do you think I should?" Hermione asked in a panic.

Ron looked away glumly, he knew this would happen. "What do you think you should do?"

"Yes. I think I should. I owe that much to her." She replied.

Ron got up from the bed and walked over to stand in front of the window. Not wanting Hermione to see how much her comment bothered him.

"Ron, what's the matter?" She asked calmly.

Ron hesitated for a moment, then with his arms folded over his chest, he asked darkly;

"What didn't you mean to do, Hermione?"

"I didn't mean to cause trouble. I know how much she liked you, and I got in the way of that." She explained to him.

"I was the one that kissed you!" he reminded her, "If anyone's to blame, I am."

"But I wasn't fair to either of you. I put you through hell, and then when you tried moving on, and you started going out with Sarah, I still made things awkward for you. I didn't let you go" Hermione told him.

"I'm glad you didn't let me go" Ron cried, throwing out his hands in front of him in exasperation. "We wouldn't be here if you had!"

"You want to be here?" Hermione asked, sounding slightly confused, how could anyone want to be here in hospital?

"No, I don't mean here. I mean with you. We wouldn't be trying so unsuccessfully to figure out whatever it is we're doing."

Hermione's heart lifted. "So, we are doing something then?"

"I though you were sposed to be the smart one!" Ron smirked, but then quickly turned serious again. "What do you want Hermione?" he asked in desperation.

"I want you!" she replied simply. Nothing more, nothing less. That was it, all she ever wanted.

"But you've always had me, Mione. For as long as I can remember. What do you want to do about it?"

Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she stood up and joined him at the window. Taking one hand in hers, and raising the other to stroke his cheek, she looked into his eyes lovingly.

"I want to be with you Ron. I love you and I want us to be together. We need to stop going round and round in circles and do something. I know how you feel about what could happen after we leave Hogwarts, so it's your decision, and I'll respect whatever you decide. But whatever you do decide, we need to stick to that, because I can't handle being just friends that kiss occasionally."

Ron already knew what he was going to do. He knew that all the talk about getting over her was just that, talk. He would wait forever for her if it meant they would be together one day, and he would drop everything for that chance.

He didn't answer her though. Instead, he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her with everything he had. Holding her so close that he no longer knew where they separated.

He raised both hands, one was placed in her hair, twirling the natural ringlets that he was so in love with around his fingers, the other hand he placed against her jaw line, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

Missing the feeling of his hand in hers, she reached up and pulled the hand resting on against her cheek down and linked their fingers as the kiss deepened, standing on tiptoes and placing her free hand on his shoulder to keep her balance.

They stayed like that for a few good minutes, only breaking apart when they could no longer rely on one another for breath. As they pulled apart, they both sighed contently and Hermione laid her head against Ron's chest, loving the feel of his heart beat thumping in her ear.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"Mmmm, so that was a positive decision then?" Hermione mused.

"I reckon so" Ron agreed, unable to wipe the smirk off his face.

"What are we going to do after school?" She didn't want to think about it now, but if they didn't, they never would.

"We'll work something out. If it's meant to be, we'll survive it. I know it's gonna be hard, but we've been through so much already, we can handle it, Right?" he finished hopefully.

Hermione smiled up at him, then leaning in for another kiss, replied. "Right".

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron had just experienced the most peaceful, relaxing and refreshing sleep in his entire life.

He had arrived back from the hospital late the night before after spending the whole evening with Hermione. They had talked for hours whilst lying, snuggled together on her hospital bed. He had stayed longer than was normally allowed, but seeing as though he was part of the infamous trio, the carers let him stay.

Harry was already asleep when Ron got in, so he couldn't wait to share his news with his best friend. After waking up fully, having a quick shower and getting dressed in blue faded jeans and his favourite maroon jumper, he bounded down the stairs to the common room. Much to his delight, the only people in the common room, save for a few 1st and 2nd years were Harry and Ginny.

Deciding to have some fun with them after their little trick last night, Ron stumbled over to the couch and plonked himself down with an exaggerated huff.

"Morning" Ginny said, eyeing her brother wearily.

"Morning!" Ron grumbled.

"I take it that it didn't go too well last night then. What did you do this time?" Harry asked accusingly.

Ron tried to look offended, which actually wasn't that hard to do considering Harry thought it would be Ron to screw it up.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I did exactly what you told me to do. I even kissed her, after I told her that me and Sarah broke up of course, and I said that I wanted to be with her.". Ginny looked confused.

"But Hermione wants that too, so what would the problem be?"

"The problem Ginny…." Ron paused to show one last look of despair, "… is that now I have to think of something really special for my _girlfriends_ Christmas present." He couldn't hold it in any longer, he broke out into a huge grin that seemed to spread from one side of his face to the other.

Ginny jumped and hugged her brother whereas Harry settled for shaking Ron's hand.

"Congratulations. It only took you 7 years to do it." Harry remarked sarcastically.

"Ooh, Ooh, we can go on double dates now, oh it's going to be so much fun!" Ginny cried excitedly.

"Yeah, except for the fact that we're still at school and there's not really many places we can go, not to mention the fact that you've still got another year left." Harry reminded her.

Ginny shot him a deathly glare, cursing him for trying to put a dampener on her excitement.

"There's still Hogsmeade weekends, and then the summer, and then all the time after that" She continued in a very girly manner. "Oohhh, and we can even have a double wedding!" she squealed in delight.

The 2 boys, however, did not join in the excitement, instead, both boys now wore panicked expressions.

"D..D..Double W.. W.. Wedding?" Harry stuttered.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Ron asked dumbly.

Ginny looked at them both in turn, finally focusing her attention first on Ron.

"Well, you and Hermione are meant to be. You're going to be together for the rest of your lives anyway, so you may as well get married. Just think… " she said, leaning over and patting her brother on the shoulder, "… She could Mrs Hermione Weasley. And the children! Lots of children with red bushy hair, the boys with blue eyes and the girls with brown. They'd all be just as stubborn as their parents, but with more brains than they need. Oh they will be so adorable."

Ron thought for a moment and finally he realised that he'd like nothing more than to marry Hermione. She was the only person he ever could want to spend his life with, and he didn't want children unless they were with her. Harry chuckled at the dream like state Ron had fallen into as he imagined their future together, which, in turn, only served as a reminder that Ginny wasn't done yet.

"And you!" she glared at him. "Do you not want to marry me? Do you not want us to have kids together? Do you not want us to have everything that Ron and Hermione have?"

Harry looked at Ron desperately, but he was laughing too much, so he turned to Ginny.

"Gin, Sweetie, Honey… it's not that I don't want those things with you, it's just that we're still in school, I'm only 17. Don't you think we're just a little too young?"

"My parents got married at 18. Next excuse please" Ginny retorted.

"No, look, I do want those things and I do want them with you, but I need to grow up first. I want to have a steady job and have this whole Horcrux thing behind us, and I want…" he didn't get to finish his sentence, because at that point, Ginny burst out laughing.

"It's ok Harry. I'm not ready for any of that yet either, relax." She teased menacingly. Harry laughed in disbelief, but then soon recovered when he remembered the look on his best friends face.

"And what about you, Ron? You seemed to be lapping it up."

Ron smiled goofily and shrugged. "Can't think of a better life, mate." He remarked joyfully. "Anyway, I'm going to get Hermione, my girlfriend Hermione that is, from the hospital. You two want to come?"

"That depends. Are you going to be sickly sweet and all over each other?" asked Harry.

"Well, you know, it's not my fault I'm irresistible." He joked. "I'm never gonna stop touching her" he smiled joyfully.

His joy was infectious, and Harry couldn't help but be pulled into that joy. "You better not!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

Later on in the evening, the two couples sat opposite each other in the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was sat on the arm chair, absently playing with Ginny's hair while she sat on the floor in front of him, stroking small circles on his feet with her fingertips. Hermione and Ron were on the couch opposite them. Laid back with their legs outstretched in front of them. Hermione lay between Ron's legs, her back snuggled up against his chest. One of his arms draped across the couch, holding her hand, while the other hand traced lines up and down her arm. He was fascinated with the way goose bumps jumped up when he ran the back of his hand down them.

He had kept to his earlier promise of never stopping touching her. They hadn't spent much time that day not touching in someway, in fact, the only time they hadn't held hands was when they were eating, but they still sat so close together, it didn't really count.

In the distance, Hermione heard the portrait door creak open. She looked around to see Sarah enter the common room and immediately jumped off Ron, who looked at her startled.

She glared at him, then averted her eyes in Sarah's direction. Ron, Ginny and Harry all stifled a laugh, and Hermione sent them all a warning glare before turning her attention back to Sarah.

"Hi Sarah" Hermione waved nervously. Sarah looked over , a huge grin spread across her face, then ran over and embraced a very terrified Hermione.

"Mione, it's so good to see you. I'm so glad you're ok. We've got so much to talk about." She rambled hurriedly. She pulled Hermione back down onto the couch, nudging Ron up as she did so.

"When did you get back?"

"Erm, this morning. I've had a lot to catch up on, so I spent most of the day studying." Hermione swallowed before continuing to explain all about her homework.

Sarah watched Hermione intently as she rambled on about everything she had missed, then, with a look of confusion on her face, leaned in closer to Ron and whispered something in his ear. Ron smiled and looked affectionately at his new girlfriend.

"Yeah, she does, but she thinks you're going to kill her so she's being careful about being affectionate in front of you. I haven't told her yet that you moved on quicker than I did." He explained to Sarah as he ruffled Hermione's hair playfully and pulled her towards him again.

"Oh well, Ron, if you had told her that sooner, she wouldn't be so scared of me" Sarah joked.

"No, I.. I'm not afraid of you, I just, er…."

"Hermione, look it's fine. I knew it was going to happen, I knew that his heart belonged to you, so I didn't let myself get as involved as I could have. But the day that Ron and I broke up, I ran into Dean and he was upset over his split with Parvati, and we got to talking. We've been pretty much inseparable ever since."

Hermione stared at her with wide eyes. "You and Dean? Dean Thomas?" Sarah nodded.

"Yep. So please, put this poor boy out of his misery and act like his girlfriend"

Hermione looked at Ron who stared back at her, pouting as if to prove Sarah's point. She rolled her eyes and made a tutting sound, whacking him with the cushion. He grabbed the cushion and laughed, she however, was still trying to look stern.

"Ok Mione, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" he pleaded, flashing that heart stopping grin that he knew always made her melt.

"Mmmm, you'll have to work for it!" Ron chuckled slightly.

"Can't wait!" he said softly and he placed a kiss on her neck, just under her ear, she smiled and leaned into him, silently encouraging him to continue.

"Ok, I don't need to see that though!" Sarah groaned as she stood up, covering her eyes with her hands. Ginny and Harry got up in the same manner.

"Hey, we really don't need to see that either!", then the three of them left the couch area, leaving the new couple alone.

"So what are you doing for Christmas this year?" Ron asked as he pulled Hermione down with him so they were both lying on the couch again.

"I persuaded my parents to let me stay here. I told them I wanted to stay as it's my last year here. How about you?"

"Mum wants me to go back home, that would mean either leaving Harry here or taking him with me, but then he'd be with Ginny the whole time, and I'd be bored. Maybe you could come too." He piped up, suddenly getting the idea.

"Or, maybe you could ask to stay here. Everyone else is going home, we'd have the whole tower to ourselves" Hermione suggested shyly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Ron, however, gasped at the idea.

"What? But, we can't stay here alone. Anything could happen"

"That was kind of the point, Ronald" she huffed dejectedly.

"Oh, Hermione, don't. It's not that I don't want to. It's just, we've only just started going out. I don't want to mess this up. Can't we just take our time?" He didn't want to admit that taking that next step further scared the hell out of him.

"Ron, we've had 7 years of taking it slow. But if that's what you want, fine, I'll respect your wishes." Ron stared at her incredulously.

"When did I start being the girl?" He gasped.

Hermione chose to ignore his last comment, instead, asked him if he thought Mrs Weasley would mind Hermione spending Christmas with them. Ron seriously doubted it. The more people his mum had to fuss over, the happier she was.

Of course, he'd swear Harry and Ginny to secrecy over his relationship. The last thing he wanted was for the twins to spend the holiday teasing them both, and he didn't want his mother watching every move they made.

"So it's decided then, you're spending Christmas at Grimmauld Place then!" he confirmed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, I'd have to spend everyday with you, and that could mean a lot of fights"

"I'm counting on it. The more we fight, the more we get to make up!" Ron grinned cheekily.

"Well, in that case, how ever could I refuse?" Hermione flirted, then leaned in for another kiss.

"I think I preferred it when they were arguing all the time" Lavender remarked loudly to Seamus as they walked past them.


End file.
